Blades In The Darkness
by EliteZealot936
Summary: The battle for Atollon saw the destruction of many of the fledgling Rebellion's ships and other forces, to most, it would seem like just another Imperial victory. However, several visitors from beyond the galaxy may change that. For better or worse remains to be seen.
1. Chapter 1: Last Stand

_This was the greatest conflict humanity had ever seen. As of now it has dragged on for eighteen years, and taken billions of lives. It's been fought on various battlegrounds, from the diverse worlds of our Outer Colonies, the major population centers in the Inner Colonies, and even the empty void of space. Unlike other conflicts in our history, this isn't caused by territory disputes, or resources. We aren't even fighting ourselves anymore. Rather, this is a war for our very survival as a species. And we are losing. Battle group Epsilon is making our stand here. This backwater world isn't special, or at least, it wasn't until now. We've located several alien artifacts, and HIGHCOM has ordered us to deny the enemy access to them at all costs, as well as to evacuate the five billion civilians on the planet. The second is nearly done, but we don't have anything powerful enough to destroy those ruins. I'd say we need to hold the planet indefinitely then, but we've been barely able to do that in the past two weeks this battle's been happening. With the reinforcements those alien bastards just received...Well, I don't have any hope left for our survival._ _ **-Admiral Chloe Ayers, February 17**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2547**_

 _ **Hestia System, UNSC Outer Colonies. 16:00 Hours, February 18**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2547**_

Even if anyone watching was unfamiliar with the relationship between UNSC and Covenant Warships, it would be clear to them that the UNSC would likely lose this fight. For the UNSC to win, they'd almost always needed a three to one advantage to win. The human ships in this system did not have that at all. There were two Marathon class cruisers, around eight Halberd Class destroyers, and perhaps a bit under two dozen frigates of various classes. The silhouette of a Prowler was briefly visible as well, against the gray hull of a cruiser, before it slipped back into the large vessel's shadow. It was an impressive force, but the melted and lifeless ruins of many other ships showed that this was not enough. Yes, Covenant ships were destroyed too, but only around half as many, and they possessed a force left that outclassed the UNSC ships by about five to one. An Assault Carrier was present, as well as around four CCS grade cruisers, half a dozen destroyers and maybe a dozen frigates and heavy corvettes.

The UNSC ships were faring slightly better than they should have, however, using various desperate tactics and underhanded moves to take out as many alien ships as they could. Still, it was clear that they wouldn't last much longer, and it was clear both sides knew it. The Covenant forces began to pull back and mass for a final push, while the humans prepared for their last stand. Warily, the UNSC commanders watched and waited, repairing what they could as they waited for the shit to hit the fan. They would end up waiting for about an hour, before the aliens would finally decide to attack.

As one, the alien fleet began accelerating towards them, the glow of plasma against their purple hulls seeming like glowing eyes, before it burst force, plasma torpedoes arcing and colliding, easily melting the titanium armor. Energy projectors slashed through space, the beams slicing through and cutting several frigates in half. The human ships fire simultaneously, the rounds of their main guns slamming into Covenant ships, some deflecting off shields, but others piercing critical systems, staggering the Covenant battle-line as several alien ships begin to be destroyed. Yet the human fleet begins turning and retreating behind one of the planet's moons, with the exception of three Halberd class destroyers. Each of the trio unleashes every missile they carry aboard, the flashes as several Shiva class nukes and Archer missiles colliding with the alien warships briefly obscuring the enemy fleet from view. As the blasts clear, two of the human ships are still mostly intact, speeding towards the enemy flagship. The Covenant vessels spit white hot plasma in an effort to stop them, but it's a futile gesture, the crippled ships being nothing more than dead weights with one last possible trajectory. A collision with the assault carrier.

A damaged CPV class destroyer tries to intercept them, but it's too slow, the human ships flying past it. The human destroyers slam into the massive vessel, its shields already down from the nuclear blasts, carving through several decks and embedding themselves in the alien ship. They then detonate as their nuclear reactors explode, breaking the five kilometer long assault carrier apart, pieces drifting into the atmosphere. Enraged but confused, the remaining Covie ships move to pursue the humans, unaware that dozens of small objects were floating around. They were the result of the UNSC's last attempt to destroy their foes, HORNET class mines. The trap was laid, and blinded by rage and shock; the aliens stumbled straight into it. A nuclear conflagration consumes the enemy, the bright flash hiding them for several seconds. The silver shields of the Covenant warships mostly fail, with the ships beneath being engulfed by the wrath of nuclear fire. Yet several ships had survived, including one of the CCS cruisers. The UNSC ships emerge from behind the moon, firing a second salvo, heavily damaging the surviving ships. The final blow would come from three frigates that had used a slingshot maneuver to accelerate themselves around the planet, their inertia speeding them around and showing them the rear of the alien warships. They fire, each shot aimed at the reactor of a different warship, and finish off the survivors.

Aboard the human ships, they almost cheer, when space begins to boil and warp around them. Around a dozen rifts open, with the same amount of Covenant warships emerging and opening fire. Their energy projectors and plasma torpedoes rapidly begin to carve up the UNSC ships, with several frigates and destroyers falling to the first salvo. A new battle was starting, but the humans had finally run out of tricks up their sleeves. Aboard one of the Marathons' bridges, Admiral Ayers sums their situation up almost perfectly. "Well, we're fucked."

 _ **Hestia IV, Surface**_

If she was being honest with herself, Kassandra found space combat to be beautiful, in a somewhat twisted sense of the word. Even from the surface, she could see several ships fighting it out in low orbit. The golden streaks of MAC rounds, the smaller puffs of fire and smoky trails left by missiles, even the white hot bolts of plasma and brilliant flashes caused by other covenant weaponry all looked amazing to her. Even the devastated vessels, falling planet side and burning up into glittering shards of metal, those too disappearing moments after. However, she quickly noticed something not quite as pretty, the bodies of human soldiers being sent flying. The cause? A massive alien watching her from behind the smoldering wreckage of a Warthog, its massive hammer buried in the front of the vehicle. The Jiralhanae lets out a snarl, ripping its weapon free, before stalking around the vehicle, heading straight for Kass.

By that time, she had her dual submachine guns up and firing at the chieftain, the projectiles merely deflecting off of its golden shielding, the Brute lunging at her with incredible speed and swinging its hammer down to crush the Spartan's skull. But she was already gone, rolling away from the strike, standing up to empty the remaining clip of each weapon into the alien. She attaches each SMG to her hips, a pair of blades flashing into her hands, before she unleashes a flurry of blows of her own. Roaring a battle cry, the Jiralhanae attempts to retaliate, the UNSC supersoldier evading all of the powerful swings, her rapidly whittling away the Brute's shields, until her knives begin to impact it's armor instead. The fight ends moments later, as the alien launches a desperate swing at her legs. Kass leaps straight up, her grabbing the brute's shoulder and swinging herself around to clamber on its back. It tries to grab her and throw her off, but she slips her blades around the thing's neck, planting her feet and kicking off, the force decapitating the chieftain.

The Spartan lands on her knees, the corpse slumping to the ground as she flicks the alien blood off of her knives. She glances around the forested clearing, seeing the shadows of the rest of the pack, all stunned as the female slowly stands, feeling fatigue in her limbs from a week of nonstop fighting. "Bring it on." Kass declares, her armor making her voice sound mechanical and cold. She sheathes her blades, pulling her shotgun off of her back, preparing to go out in a blaze of glory when she hears a voice in her helmet.

" _Spartan, this is Admiral Ayers. We've lost the battle in orbit, and we're pulling you out of there."_

"Negative, ma'am. My mission is incomplete. Pull everyone out if you have to, but I'm staying." The Spartan replies without hesitation, noticing the brutes shake off their shock, preparing to attack.

" _You don't get to decide that. You are getting out of there. Now!"_ The officer's voice changes from weary to commanding. _"Your bird is there. Don't keep them waiting."_

She looks up as the sound of engines is suddenly heard, seeing a Pelican dropship come to a stop above her. The brutes see it too, and in an attempt to avenge their leader surge forward, only for the forward gun on the dropship to open up, the large rounds punching through their armor and stopping them in their tracks. The repeating gun quiets as the last Jiralhanae falls, the dropship lowering to the ground, its ramp opening.

"Get in, Spartan." The pilot yells from the cockpit, his voice sounding desperate, the shadow of a CPV class destroyer looming over them, a swirl of energy building around its nose.

She hesitates, looking back to the bullet ridden corpses of the brutes, as well as the bodies of the fallen marines. Kassandra sighs, before stepping into the vehicle, it immediately taking off and accelerating. It arcs upwards, passing the destroyer as it fires and leaving the planet's atmosphere minutes later, only to enter the same battle Kass had noticed from the ground. She walks up to the cockpit, taking a look at the devastation for herself. She could see dozens of lighter frigates and destroyers being crippled or destroyed, a seemingly intact frigate drifting nearby, before they can see how half of the vessel is still molten metal from several plasma torpedo hits. She noticed destroyed Covenant ships as well, slightly impressed that the UNSC had managed to destroy that many. The core of the human fleet was intact; a pair of Marathon class cruisers and several Halberd class destroyers, managing to hold out against the Covenant, though their defiant stand would no doubt be shattered in minutes, at most.

"Our fleet's been getting torn apart, I'm surprised we've been able to hold this long." The pilot comments, clearly horrified at the wreckage. He looks over his shoulder at Kass. "You awake?"

She nods, but doesn't say anything, just staring out the cockpit glass. While Kass was a bit messed up in the head, even she felt something as she looks over the devastation. She mutters something far too quiet to hear, before letting out a quiet sigh.

"I'm guessing the voicebox wasn't included?" He says jokingly, before he begins speaking over his comms, ignoring the Spartan. "Admiral, this is Foxtrot 3-1, we're approaching you, mind opening up?"

The pelican rapidly approaches the cruiser, its stepped hull being heavily damaged by plasma fire, many of its weapons systems burned to slag. It still was fighting, though, its point defenses firing at several Seraph fighters that had taken an interest in the dropship. A plasma torpedo arcs towards the damaged cruiser, only to be intercepted by a nearly crippled destroyer, which then detonates as its reactors go critical.

The Pelican's comm activates, the Admiral's voice speaking through it, sounding tired and defeated. _"The docking bay's opening, get aboard..."_ The officer trails off. It was evident, even over the comm, the Admiral's voice is clearly shocked and panicked, an extreme change from the tone it had been. "Ensign, random jump no-" The comm cuts out just as a lance of energy pierces the cruiser from nose to stern, gutting it. Less than a second later, the vessel erupts in a huge explosion, a chunk of wreckage colliding with the Pelican's nose. The impact throws the Spartan into the troop compartment, and slams her head into a bulkhead, causing her to black out.

Kassandra's eyes slowly open, her only hearing the sound of alarms blaring in her helmet, telling her that her shields were inoperable, and her armor compromised. Gradually, those fade, leaving her to listen to the panicked and confused chatter from the survivors still on the planet, as well as the automated distress calls produced by the lifeboats. The barely conscious Spartan had drifted free of the pelican's wreckage, her slowly spinning as she drifts aimlessly. She sees a human destroyer jump to slipspace, appearing to be the last intact human ship leaving the system. For what felt like hours, though it was only minutes she waited, unable to do anything as she watched the victorious Covenant fleet relentlessly hunt down survivors of the battle. The aliens were destroying lifeboats and vaporizing any ship that remained mostly intact. The far more depressing view, though, was the sight of a half a dozen alien vessels orbiting the world, pounding the planet with their weaponry and changing it, from what had once nearly been a paradise, to a lifeless hell.

Something else quickly catches the Spartan's attention, though. It was a Covenant dropship flying uncomfortably close to her, the troops aboard no doubt on their way to search the debris for navigation data. It flies by her, before circling around, it's side doors opening. Several Sangheili, all equipped in vacuum sealed armor, all disembark, firing their maneuvering thrusters and rapidly approaching Kass. One grabs her shoulder, trying to bring her back to the Phantom, when she suddenly reacts. She slams her armored fist into the elite's visor, creating a spider web of cracks and snapping the alien warrior's head back. They hit her back, a hard punch to the stomach that slightly winded her.

Two more of the elite rangers intervene before she can do more damage, grabbing her arms and restraining them behind her back. She keeps fighting like a caged animal, though, briefly struggling to escape their grip. Instead of continuing, though, after a few seconds she settles on smashing her helmet into the cracked visor of the first Sangheili, shattering it and causing the alien to double over and gasp. The Spartan's foot lashes out and collides with the asphyxiating elite, sending it hurtling off into space. Her brief sense of satisfaction is quickly ended; one of the elite's restraining her dealing her a powerful blow to the back of the head with their plasma rifle. While she tries to stay awake, she feels herself be dragged into the Covie dropship, her vision being blurry. The last thing she sees is the four mandibled face of a Sangheili shipmaster looking down at her, before a burning pain in her stomach makes her vision go black.

 ** _Atollon Orbit, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY_**

The planet's surface, even from high up in the world's orbit, looked harsh and unpleasant. That being said, the planet's recent occupiers didn't care much about that, simply happy the Galactic Empire hadn't appeared to notice their presence. The remote world was a new stronghold for the insurgent forces known as the Phoenix Squadron and Massassi Group, both of whom were massing for a coordinated strike against the Imperials. While their force was somewhat impressive, it was clear. Composed of mainly frigates and corvettes, the Quasar Fire Class Cruiser-Carrier _Phoenix Nest_ was the most impressive ship they had. Their main advantage was secrecy, though everyone in the fleet had varying opinions on how long that would remain true.

The pessimists among the crew of the rebel ships were quickly proved right, when the familiar dagger shapes of Imperial warships decelerated from hyperspace and became visible. The easiest to identify were the six Imperial One Class Star Destroyers, all of which dwarfed the smaller rebel vessels. Several smaller ships were present as well, two Arquitens Class Command Cruisers, and two Interdictor Class Star Destroyers. Strangely, the Imperial ships didn't open fire immediately, holding their position just out of range of the rebels' weapons range. The various reactions by the insurgents varied from calm, to outright panicking as they attempt to bring weapons and fighters online. No one doubted that this would be the largest skirmish that they had had with the Empire yet.

 _ **Authors Note:**_ _ **So, this is the newest story I've been working on. First things first, Italics generally mean a comm signal, a foreign language, or an AI talking. Also I do intend to be more active on the updates than I was with my other stories, as well as I may use people's OC's later on, provided you guys submit some. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it, constructive criticism is always welcome. Until next time.**_


	2. Chapter 2: Uneasy Alliance

_**Author's Note:**_ _ **Welcome back. For those who are wondering, I intend to end every chapter on a minor cliff-hanger, just because I'm a bit of an ass. I am kidding, of course. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

 _ **Hestia IV, Surface. 02:00 Hours, February 19**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2547.**_

This part of the world was near one of its oceans, and generally had a warm climate and pleasant weather. Not so today, due to the evaporating of much of the water in the Covenant's orbital bombardment, a large silver structure was experiencing a violent windstorm. The building was obviously not human, nor Covenant in design, and showed many similarities to the architectural style of the Forerunners. It appeared to be unaffected, the silver tower floating above the ground where water had once been. A Covenant Phantom emerged from the clouds, hovering near the structure, before a small landing pad extends. The dropship if buffeted by the violent winds, a single Sangheili in silver armor leaping onto the pad, followed by a pair of Rangers, who are holding a figure in green armor between them. _"Do try not to let the filth touch these hallowed corridors any more than it must."_

The two elites continue carrying the unconscious Spartan, following their leader down the halls of the Installation. Neia 'Kadam'ee, the elite shipmaster, finds herself glancing back at the Spartan every few moments, curious about the human. She had heard stories about the feared UNSC demons, and partially had some respect for them, even if mostly for their abilities and skill in combat. They arrive at a final door, which opens to reveal a Sangheili in red armor, who almost straightens when they notice the arrival, before recognizing her. He speaks, though the Major's voice has a bit of contempt in it. " _Shipmistress, follow me._ "

She nods, the trio following the elite Major. She had noticed his tone, but knowing it would only cause trouble to point it out, doesn't mention it. They enter a massive area, the group walking out onto a catwalk that encircles the edges of the almost cavernous room. Two dozen Sangheili Zealots line the catwalk, weapons held in a ready position. An old Sangheili walks up to them, nodding to the major and shipmistress. _"You brought...a Demon? Any human would have worked, but you chose...You are very brave or incredibly foolish Neia."_

Her mandibles twitch into almost a grin, the female elite looking at him with a sense of familiarity. _"Let's go with brave, uncle. Now, shall we get started?"_

" _Very well. Major?"_ The older elite turns to the red armored Sangheili.

He nods, before calling out. _"Warriors, stow your weapons."_ With the major and Neia flanking him, the older Sangheili walks out onto a small outcropping, where the railing fell away. The Rangers carry Kassandra forward, before releasing her and stepping back. The two elites step back as the Spartan begins to stir, moving to guard the door.

Kass slowly wakes up, pushing herself up to her knees and looking around. Her eyes widen beneath her gold visor as she sees the Sangheili, her eyes flicking around the room. Of course, instinct kicks in, and she climbs to her feet, before lunging at the older elite. She's intercepted by Neia and the Major, who each grab one of her wrists, restraining the tired and injured Spartan.

Neia looks at the 'demon', before she switches to English. "Stop fighting, Demon. It is a great honor to do this. And we would rather not spill blood on this sacred ground."

Kass doesn't stop struggling, letting out a few curses before she stops, knowing she can't win. They drag her forward, before forcing one of her hands to reach out, a holographic console appearing in front of her fingers. Her palm is pressed against it, causing a platform to materialize in the center of the room, floating in mid-air. Neia releases the Spartan, the major shoving Kass away, the woman being knocked back onto the floor. A bridge of blue light forms between the outcropping and this platform, the old Sangheili and the major walking across, leaving Kassandra and Neia behind.

Neia looks down at Kass, studying the Spartan before pulling her to her feet. "Come on, Demon. At the very least, you should be curious." She doesn't restrain the human, walking across the light bridge.

The Spartan considers the offer, before she sighs. The Sangheili was right, she supposed, she was very curious. And she knew that it would be suicide to try and escape in her wounded condition. She follows closely behind the Shipmistress, walking over to

" _Why is the Demon over here, shipmistress?"_ The Major asks, shooting a distrustful look towards Neia and Kass.

" _I believe she is simply curious about this place. It would appear that she has never been here."_ She responds, looking over at her uncle, who is just finishing a prayer. _"Uncle...why is it we're at war with the humans to begin with?"_

" _That is almost heresy, Neia. We are eradicating their kind for the sin of needlessly destroying the artifacts of our gods."_

" _Has anyone actually seen them do such?"_

Her uncle stops the ritual, turning to look at the shipmistress. _"Again, these questions border on heresy. Why are you asking, anyways?"_

" _Because if they truly were destroying relics, they would no doubt assign that task to their best warriors. Yet this one looks like she's never seen anything forerunner until now. And why do we need humans to open the holy relics to begin with?"_ She speaks almost defiantly, staring right into the old Sangheili's eyes.

He looks at her, his mandibles flaring briefly as he prepares to discipline her, before stopping, recognizing some truth in her claims. _"Are you suggesting the Prophets lied to us?"_

She hesitates, before nodding. _"Yes. And I'm suggesting that we have been too blinded by faith to notice their deception. They've slowly been elevating the Jiralhanae as well, if you haven't noticed. Likely to replace us with someone even more stupid than we have been, if that's even possible."_ She says, scorn obvious in her voice.

The major looks back and forth, displaying the same confusion evident in many of the Sangheili soldiers in the room. Eventually he pulls his sword off his hip, igniting it. _"You are a heretic, Shipmistress."_

" _Major. You realize that once you have drawn, the challenge cannot be withdrawn."_ The older Sangheili says evenly, glancing between the Major and Neia.

" _I have drawn as well, Uncle."_ While no one had noticed, she had her sword off her hip, though it was deactivated. The major snarls, before slashing at her, the twin prongs of energy crackling as they barely miss, the female Sangheili sidestepping. Her sword activates with a hiss, her retaliating with an attack of her own. The two clash, the air crackling as each tries to overpower each other. It quickly becomes evident that Neia wasn't quite as strong, her slowly being forced towards the edge of the platform. She deactivates her blade and rolls past the Major, him stumbling forward, almost to the edge. Neia turns; her blade activated once more, and slashes at the back of his legs, him letting out a howl of pain before collapsing, barely grabbing onto the edge with a hand as he falls of the edge. She walks over, looking down at him, the major giving her a brief nod of respect. She then stabs her sword down; badly burning his hand and making him plummet into the seemingly bottomless chasm.

" _How will this end?"_ She asks, deactivating her blade and staring at her relative.

" _I...I do not know. I can see some truth in your claims, but they are heresy, as the major declared."_

" _Are they, though? I haven't disagreed with our faith, only with our leaders. Technically it's a dispute of power, not heresy."_ She glances behind her, noticing Kassandra watching quietly.

" _You are asking me to turn my back on things I have believed since I could walk. The Prophets have not betrayed us."_

" _No, they have manipulated us into slaughtering many non-combatants, of burning dozens of worlds to slag for a sin they likely made up. We are nothing but fools."_

He lets out a sigh. _"You are making me do something I loathe. Whatever happens now, I am proud of you, and I regret this. Zealots, end the heretics."_

She stares at him, not quite realizing what he had said, before she stares around the room, seeing a dozen weapons aimed at her. Thirteen, if you count her Uncle's blade he had just activated. She activates her own, shaking her head slightly. " _I'm sorry too. Demon?_ " She tosses a plasma rifle into Kassandra's hands, her looking a bit surprised before she realizes what to do.

The Spartan runs down the bridge, dozens of plasma bolts flying past her, the Spartan ducking and weaving past them, before she notices the two rangers near the door look a bit confused. "Pick a side!" Kass yells at them, before running past, noticing five of the Zealots activating their blades and rushing her.

Neia slashes at her uncle, who blocks it easily, before shoving her back. The two begin exchanging rapid strikes, their armor's shields crackling as the two duel. While it became clear the older combatant was more skill, Neia's youth gave her a bit of an advantage in agility and reflexes. Her armor also had better shielding, and advantage that wasn't clear until she manages to graze his shoulder, the energy field around him popping and dissipating. Still, she was losing, barely able to score any more blows as she struggles to defend against the flurry of slashes and thrusts.

Kassandra slides under the first slash, standing and kicking one of the Zealots' leg joints, shattering the bone and causing them to fall. She sidesteps as another blade almost splits her in half, grabbing the elite's wrist and spinning them around. They slam into the railing, trying to stand before her foot slams into their upper chest, knocking them over the railing and into the abyss. She then rolls backwards, evading a strike and coming up with her back almost pressed against another Sangheili. She flips them over her shoulder, before bringing her armored boot down on their neck, crushing their windpipe. She's beginning to breathe hard, though, and she had only taken out three out of twelve of the hostile aliens. Still, the two closest elites back off, six more surrounding her. The Spartan picks up two of the fallen energy swords and activates them, holding them in a ready stance.

All six come at her at once, her backed against the wall and not having much room to maneuver, just trying to block the strikes. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices the two Rangers finally decide, jetting into the air before coming down on the three unoccupied Zealots, one of them knocking the sword away from their opponent, and the two beginning to fight hand to hand. The other tackles the elite to the ground, them wrestling for control of the sword. The last Zealot prepares to stab one of the rangers in the back. Kass, not wanting to lose more allies, flips over the Zealots to get out of the circle, before turning and throwing one of her blades. It buries itself in the Zealot's back, the Sangheili staggering before collapsing. The Spartan then gasps, feeling a pain in her shoulder, her managing to kick the lucky Zealot back, before she briefly examines the damage, seeing a large gash in her shoulder plate. She backs up, raising her remaining sword.

Back with Neia, the fight wasn't going too well. She had managed to injure her opponent's sword arm, forcing him to fight with his other, but her shields were down and she had a gash in her stomach. " _Why...do you believe this is necessary?_ "

" _Neia, you forced me to act. Surely you realized that it was a death sentence to fight the person who trained you."_ He says, sounding a combination between regretful and a bit arrogant.

The Shipmistress lets out a growl before throwing herself back into the fray, the two clashing blades in a shower of sparks. The two Sangheili fight for a few more moments, it becoming clear that both are slowing down. She's breathing quite hard, before she backs up a few steps. _"Look around you. Even if I die, you will still meet your end by their hand. Besides, you know I'm right. All you fighting me proves is that you're scared of the truth."_ She speaks in a taunting manner, slowly backing onto the hardlight bridge.

He clenches his fist before aggressively slashing at her, not realizing her trick until she rolls back onto the platform, hitting a button, which causes the bridge to flicker and dissipate. He jumps for her, but she kicks at him, her foot meeting his chest and throwing him back. His hands grasp for something to catch himself, but there's nothing but empty air, his eyes showing shock before he disappears from sight.

She sighs, before looking over and noticing the Spartan struggling against her opponents, activating the light bridge and rushing over to help her. Two of the Sangheili Zealots turn to fight her, the Shipmistress deflecting their attacks and gradually backing up, mostly just drawing them away from Kass.

The two elite Rangers were doing decently, the one fighting hand-to-hand managing to pin the Zealot, and delivering blow after blow, wearing down its shields until they finally dissipate. They pull a plasma pistol off their side, jamming it up below the other Sangheili's chin and firing, the bolt of green energy killing them. As this ranger stands, they notice their partner get kicked away by the other Zealot, who stalks towards the fallen elite, preparing to end their life. They fire a few plasma bolts at them, before picking up the sword of the killed Zealot, roaring a battle cry as they charge and begin dueling with the zealot.

Kassandra, despite her injuries, manages to hold off the four remaining Zealots. She manages to catch one of their blades between the prongs of her own, twisting her wrist and disarming them and sending the sword skittering across the floor. She then drives her own sword through their chest, not noticing another elite slash at her extended wrist until the blade is almost to her armor, the Spartan releasing her grip on the sword and withdrawing her hand. She still feels the heat from the near miss, her turning and punching the offending Sangheili hard in the face, staggering them. She then tackles them to the ground, spraying a few bolts from her borrowed plasma rifle into the Sangheili's face. She then feels a sword rake across her back, her armor luckily taking most of the damage, though she still falls to her knees. She manages to roll forward and escape the finishing blow, her turning and firing a torrent of plasma bolts at her last two opponents, though their shields take the fire, the two rushing her.

The Ranger that is busy fighting the Zealot quickly finds himself outmatched, the Zealot being much more skilled, but it turns out that doesn't matter, the second ranger slamming their plasma rifle into the back of the Zealot's head, disorienting them long enough for the first ranger to decapitate the Zealot. They turn to face the remaining Zealot's, noticing both Kass and Neia struggling against their opponents, one pulling out a beam rifle, while the one with the sword jets into the air, before slamming into the two Sangheili attacking Kassandra, knocking them both to the ground.

The Spartan nods to her ally, before the ranger is forced back, one of the Zealots climbing to their feet and attacking them. She charges the other Zealot, ducking under their first slash. She grabs the elite's leg, before yanking them off balance, her then bringing her fist into their helmet. The Sangheili drops their sword, realizing that slightly too late as Kass slams them against a wall, her punching, kneeing and jabbing them in a rapid flurry, before they manage to activate an energy dagger and stab her in the stomach. She ignores the pain long enough to punch them one last time in the face, knocking them out cold. The Zealot slumps to the ground as she releases the alien, her firing a few bolts into its face before she turns to help out the ranger with his opponent.

The Ranger with the beam rifle is still aiming at the two Zealots attacking Neia, though they aren't having much luck. The two enemies were too close to the shipmistress for the ranger to get a good shot. They keep lining up, only for them to move out of the way. Finally, Neia kicks one back, the ranger squeezing off a shot at the fallen elite. The Zealot goes limp, the particle beam piercing their helmet, and their skull. The ranger hears a quiet noise, which grows quickly louder. They look over the edge into the chasm, before quickly backing up, around a dozen Sentinels emerging, along with a Monitor. _"Stop this fighting at once!"_

Everyone freezes, before lowering their weapons and staring in shock at the ancilla. Well, except Kass, who simply crosses her arms and stares indifferently at the AI, who floats closer to the Spartan. _"Ah, Reclaimer. You were the one who woke me from my stasis?"_

She instinctively looks around for someone else, before realizing it meant her. "I think so. I wasn't exactly doing it willingly, though."

" _...Readings indicate severe damage to this world's ecosystem...thousands of humans killed. What has happened in my absence, Reclaimer?"_ The monitor's eye glows a pink color, and it spoke in a rather panicked tone.

"Ask them." She waves around, gesturing at the various Sangheili in the room. Neia walks over, standing beside Kassandra.

" _What did you do to my planet, Sangheili?"_ The monitor's voice changes into a darker tone, sounding distinctively angry.

"Oracle...My brethren are waging a war on humanity. I, along with these two have...changed allegiances." The shipmistress speaks rather calmly, but her expression shows a bit of awe.

" _You changed your minds, how refreshing."_ The female ancilla says her voice showing a bit of sarcasm. _"Reclaimer, do you want my sentinels to terminate them?"_

The Spartan looks at the Sangheili, before back at the monitor. "No. Can you please give my...ally any information she requests." She walks behind Neia, muttering something to the shipmistress. "If you wanted to prove your religion false, here's your chance."

" _As you wish, Reclaimer."_ The AI responds, before studying Neia carefully. _"Ask your questions, Sangheili."_

"...Were the Forerunners gods?" She asks, glancing at the sentinels in the room, before looking back at the ancilla.

" _Gods? No, although I can understand why primitive's such as yourselves would see them as such...My apologies. At least the Sangheili have achieved spaceflight this time around."_

"What do you mean, this time around?"

" _I mean since the Halo Arrays activation about 100'000 years ago. When they cleansed the galaxy of sentient life, and wiped out most of the Forerunner race."_

"The Holy Rings killed everything in the galaxy? Why would the Forerunners do such a thing?" Riveted and shocked, she was listening intently to the AI, as was everyone else in the room.

" _They did it to starve the Flood. Without their 'food source', the flood was eradicated. The surviving Forerunners then reseeded the galaxy of life, then exiled themselves._ "

"Oracle, would you be willing to say the same thing to the fleet of Covenant Warships in orbit? We seem to have been manipulated for quite some time."

" _Gladly. And please stop calling me Oracle. My designation is 567 Unfavourable Legacy. Now, would you like to say something first?"_

"Yes. Open the channel." The Ancilla does as requested, opening up a comm. channel to all of the ships in orbit. Neia switches languages back to Sangheili as she starts to speak. _"Brothers and sisters of the Covenant. I am Shipmistress Neia 'Kadam'ee of the cruiser Infinite Tranquility. And I have heard a message from an Oracle, one that our so-called Prophets would deem as heretical. I would advise you all listen; else suggest that you know more about the Forerunners than something directly created by them."_ The Shipmistress nods at the Monitor, who begins speaking.

" _Misguided creatures of this Covenant. The San-Shyuum have deceived you all. Not only is nearly all of your beliefs flawed or entirely false, they have convinced you to wipe out the rightful inheritors of the Mantle of Responsibility."_ The Ancilla continues talking, Neia walking up to the last two Zealots.

"Either joins us or be killed. You both have heard the truth, straight from an Oracle, no less."

They look at one another, before one lunges at Neia, sword drawn and activated. The other spears them in the back, however, before sheathing their weapon. _"You are right, Shipmistress. And we were all too foolish to see it."_

She nods, before gesturing for them to all follow her as she starts heading towards the exit, letting Legacy finish her speech, before she follows the group as well. They all arrive at the exit a bit later, coming to a stop on the landing platform.

" _Oh no..."_ The Monitor says quietly, causing the others to turn.

"What is it?" Kass asks, before feeling light-headed, the low hum of an antigravity generator being heard as a large purple ship descends from the clouds. It was only an SDV class heavy corvette, but it carried more than enough armament and troops to overwhelm the group. Still, signs of plasma scarring are etched its hull, the purple metal scorched and parts melted.

" _The ships in orbit have started fighting amongst themselves. From what I can tell, four vessels decided to believe us, while the rest have deemed all of us 'heretics'. That vessel is one of the hostile ones."_

Not even a moment after the ancilla finishes, the familiar blue-white glow of plasma appears on various parts of the Corvette, before four plasma torpedoes leap away from the vessel and speed towards the landing pad. Instinctively, Kass backs up, preparing for them all to be vaporized. But a mere four meters away from them, the plasma strikes a shimmering field of energy and dissipates. The Spartan glances at the Monitor, before back at the corvette."How long can that shield hold?"

" _Under capital ship grade weaponry, not long. Four more salvos at most. Alert, another warship is approaching, according to your classifications; it's a CCS Class Cruiser."_

The corvette immediately tries to move its position as the larger vessel appears above it, but it isn't fast enough. A swirl of energy collects on the ventral side of the cruiser, before a blinding beam lashes out at the corvette, swiping across the vessel and cutting it in half. The two halves sink towards the ground, the much smaller shape of a Phantom dropship leaving one of the cruiser's hangar bays and accelerating towards the Forerunner structure. The gravity lift on the bottom activates, Neia being the first to step in, her being pulled up into the aircraft. The rest of the Sangheili do the same, while Kassandra turns to face the monitor. "You aren't coming, I'm assuming?"

" _No, Reclaimer, I am not. My duty is to my installation. You should hurry; multiple hostile vessels are descending from orbit."_

The Spartan watches the Forerunner AI for a few moments, before she turns and walks into the gravity beam. The craft then heads back up to the hangar of the CCS, with the shapes of two CPV class destroyers descending from the sky, no doubt preparing to engage the cruiser.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _ **So...what'd you all think? Also, I am accepting several OC's. Two Elite Rangers, one male, and one that can be either gender. And a Sangheili Zealot, of either gender. That should be it for now. Next update should be between a week and a month from now.**_


	3. Chapter 3: Escape

_**CCS Class Battlecruiser Infinite Tranquility, Hestia IV, 05:00 Hours, February 19**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2547**_

The Phantom arrives in the hangar, with the Sangheili and the Spartan leaping out. The shipmistress turns to look at the others, feeling the deck shake as the cruiser begins to take enemy fire. "Rangers, Zealot, I would advise rest. If we should make it out of this, we will have need of you in the future. Demon, with me." She stalks off, her silver armor reflecting the dim purple lighting.

Kass glances at the other Sangheili, before quickly following the female elite, matching her pace. Her blood splattered and scorched armor gets various looks from the crew, the Unggoy backing off while the Sangheili watch her golden reflective visor, no doubt in some form of challenge. She looks around, scanning the similar halls. She stops as she hears a voice call out to her, a distinctively human voice.

"Hey, Spartan!" A small group of four battered marines walks up to her from an adjoining hallway. "Aren't we glad to see you. Well, except Lyons. He's a bit of an asshole, but I keep him in line. " The soldier, who has the three chevrons of a sergeant carved on his shoulder plate, points at a figure clad in an ODST BDU. "Anyways, are you the reason these bastards just released us from their brig?"

The Spartan stands somewhat awkwardly, not used to normal conversations. Or as close as this came, anyways. "...I think so. That and an alien AI. They're allies now, so try not to kill any. I need to go..." She glances at the figure of the Shipmistress as she goes around a corner.

"Alright, go play with your new friend. We have some stuff set up in one of the hangars, if you want to see us later." The sergeant gives her a somewhat cocky grin, not finding her intimidating at all, for some reason.

Kassandra nods slowly, before she turns and quickly heads after Neia, feeling the ship be struck by more enemy projectiles. She ends up on the bridge around thirty seconds later, noticing the shipmistress already sitting in the command chair, giving orders to her crew. She stands near a console, looking over the shoulder of one of the crew to see a systems diagnostic of the vessel. The shields were on the brink of failing, getting pounded by plasma from the two destroyers. It was putting up a hell of a fight, but was outmatched, even if only barely. She suddenly hears a voice in her helmet, one she recognized as 567 Unfavourable Legacy, the Monitor she had met minutes prior.

The Ancilla begins speaking rapidly, her voice beginning to get slightly annoying. _"Reclaimer, does the Sangheili vessel require assistance? I have several Retrievers I can use. Also, please tell the commander that I am preparing an escape route. It will be able to be used in approximately six minutes."_

"Yes, help would be appreciated. And just what is this escape route anyways?" The Spartan asks, slightly curious. She briefly mutes the comm, turning to Neia and quietly speaking. "Shipmistress, the Monitor has sent some reinforcements. She also says she has a way to retreat. I know it's not exactly your way to run, but...fighting is hopeless."

The female Sangheili stops giving orders for a moment, considering what Kass had said. "Very well, Demon. But before that happens, these fools need to be taught some humility. Weapons master, fire forward energy projector, target Divine Sustenance's reactor." One of the crew nods, a ball of energy forming before a pencil thin beam of energy leaps forth, piercing the destroyer's purple hull and exiting the other side. Secondary explosions rock the vessel, sending fragments of armor and white hot plasma falling to the ground, the warship then detonating in a spectacular fireball.

Kassandra resumes her conversation with the monitor, her speaking with a sense of urgency. "Alright, I'm sorry for leaving. Now, what exactly is this escape route?"

" _This facility is equipped with a slipspace portal generator, much like the one present at the Ark or similar installations. It rapidly accelerates travel to a specific location."_ She responds eagerly, this being her area of expertise. _"This one leads to...odd, the location has been removed from my processes. My guess would be that the data was corrupted or removed when I lost connection to the Domain."_

"You don't know where it leads? We could be flying into a black hole for all you know." She responds, somewhat irritated and panicked as she notices the remaining destroyer's weapons charge up.

" _I won't deny the possibility, but it is unlikely. My records state that several Forerunners left our galaxy through it. They also appear to have transported a...oh dear. Reclaimer, you must go through this portal, it is of the utmost importance. I will show you why."_ With that remark, Legacy begins directly transmitting information to her brain.

The Spartan falls to her knees, a pain unlike any she had experienced flooding her nerves, hundreds of lifetime's worth of data pouring into her mind and overwhelming her consciousness. Surprisingly, she doesn't scream or cry out, too stunned to do anything but gasp. Among these 'memories' is horrifying images of the Flood, millions dying as massive navies clash, and finally, a massive ring shaped structure. With the flow of information ends, she crumples to the floor, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she falls unconscious for the second time that day.

Neia glances down at the unconscious woman, finding herself slightly concerned for her. "One of you, take her to the infirmary. Oracle!" She calls out, opening a channel to the monitor. "We need those reinforcements now."

" _Do not worry, Sangheili. They have arrived."_ As the monitor finishes speaking, four vessels appear on the horizon, rapidly heading towards the battle. Each was about the size of a UNSC frigate, and appeared to have been modified for combat, the normally passive mining drones outfitted with energy weaponry and shielding. The destroyer briefly holds its fire, surprised at the new arrivals. It would not get a chance to recover from its mistake, though, as the retrievers focused their gravity beams on the Covenant ship. While nothing seems to happen at first, the CPV soon begins to violently shake, before it is literally ripped to pieces by the gravitational forces, the bodies of the crew members and debris raining down to the vitrified surface of the world.

Neia looks at the carnage, slightly shocked, though she quickly focuses back on the situation. "Construct, are any of my forces in orbit still alive?"

" _Yes, two out of three allied vessels in orbit are still functioning. I have issued a communication telling them to regroup here. Now, you were curious about the evacuation route?"_ The Monitor's voice could almost be described as smug, a loud noise capable of being heard even within the ship, two large sinkholes opening in the ground, with two massive pillars of metal rising from the ground. They looked similar to the first tower, though slightly simpler. Motes of light collect at the apex of each floating structure, before three beams of energy are emitted skywards, forming a massive pyramid of energy as they intersect. _"Sangheili, your allies are arriving. I recommend entering the portal, as they are being pursued by six hostile ships."_

" _This is Unyielding Fury, we stand with you, Shipmistress 'Kadam."_ A voice, recognizable as a Sangheili, speaks over the comm.

A different voice, this one noticeably lower and more aggressive, begins speaking. _"Cursed Affliction and its crew support you as well. Better than to follow false Prophets like sheep."_ They mutter something in their native language, the translators not quite picking it up.

The two voices evidently belonged to the commanders of the two new vessels that descended from the sky, one a CRS class light cruiser, the CCS' much smaller cousin, and a single SDV class corvette. Neia notices the shapes of several ships following the two, her opening a communications channel of her own. "Allies, get your vessels through the portal. We will follow soon after."

While no response is given, the two damaged ships speed up, their images fragmenting and twisting as they pass through the portal. The Tranquility moves to follow, several plasma torpedoes arcing towards it as it rushes to the portal. Fortunately for the cruiser, the unusual magnetic interference from the portal dissolves the plasma, the former covenant vessel slipping through the portal and disappearing. The four retrievers follow, before the energy field abruptly closes, a shockwave being emitted and buffeting the enemy warships. From inside the control center of the first tower, Legacy watches as the Covenant close in, her pinkish eye flickering. _"I do hope I didn't kill the Reclaimer accidentally...No, she should be strong enough, and her geas will guide her. Now..."_ The monitor's eye flickers red, her staring back at the approaching vessels. _"It is time I deal with some unwanted visitors."_

 _ **CCS Class Battlecruiser Infinite Tranquility, 09:00 Februa- **_**[ERROR]** _ **Date Unknown**_

Kassandra slowly enters the land of consciousness once more, her eyes being immediately assaulted by a bright blue light, the Spartan wincing and looking away. She hears a few whistles of various tones and pitches, the glow quickly fading, whoever was holding the light shutting it off. She sits up, her body feeling stiff and aching slightly, but she quickly realizes most of the pain from her injuries had faded. She notices two figures in the room, one a semi-familiar Sangheili in silver armor, the other being a glowing shape floating above the deck. As she blinks repeatedly her vision clears, her recognizing it as a Huragok, or one of the Covenant Engineers. Kass also realizes that she doesn't have her armor, her feeling uncomfortable even before she realizes she has nothing else on, either. The Spartan stood around six and a half feet without her armor, with pale skin and rust coloured hair. Her irises appeared to be red, her general appearance adding to the 'Demon' nickname the Covenant had bestowed upon her, along with her fellow Spartans. She glares at Neia, before she snaps out a sentence, her voice a combination of irritated and embarrassed. "Where is my armor? Or at least some clothes."

"No 'thank you' for getting you medical attention? Or for having your armor fixed." Neia comments, her slightly amused. She steps aside, revealing Kassandra's armor, except with a few changes. The visor was now silver, rather than gold and the armor was a dark grey, almost black, instead of military green. Almost all of the damage was removed from the plating, and the rest was all but unnoticeable. The various blood splatters, both alien and human, were cleaned off as well. The parts hovered in a gravity field, waiting for Kass to take it.

The Spartan swings her legs over the side of the bed, before she stands, a bit shaky at first, before she walks over to her armor, gently grazing the chest plate with her fingers, her glancing at the shipmistress. "The Engineer did this, I'm assuming?"

The female Sangheili nods, tilting her head at the suit of MJOLNIR. "Are you going to put it on? The Huragok can help with that."

Kass nods, before she takes the undersuit from the field, her beginning to put it on. Once she is finished, the Huragok takes the armor pieces and brings them over one by one to fasten them on. The process takes a few minutes, before the creature hands the Spartan her helmet, her putting it on. She begins speaking, her voice back to the slightly mechanical way it had been before. "Is there any improvements?"

The Huragok begins rapidly making a series of movements with its tentacles, the sign language being translated automatically into Kassandra's helmet. _"The crystal layer has been improved, allowing you to react faster than you could, and to be stronger as well. The shielding has also been augmented to several times its former strength, my estimate being a factor of 3.1645."_ It continues to list off numbers, giving a way too specific answer for just an 'estimate'. _"The plating is now an alloy of nanolaminate and titanium A, giving it more durability also. The Heads Up Display has remained mostly the same, for your comfort, but it now has target prediction software. The motion tracker has been replaced with a low frequency (BLEEP) emitter, allowing you to detect foes that aren't moving."_ The Huragok says several other things, but the translator doesn't recognize them, and as such, simply displays a long beep, almost like a censor.

Kass had followed along as best as she could, understanding most of it. "Thank you..."

" _I serve as requested."_ With that, the alien floats away, leaving the room. Neia clears her throat, her looking at the Spartan curiously. "Why do you have red looking eyes? And skin the same paleness as a corpse."

"...I have a condition similar to albinism, for the eyes. The skin is mostly from staying in the armor too much, though my condition doesn't help." Kassandra answers quickly, her seeming uncomfortable.

"Walk with me, Demon...you seem rattled." The shipmistress studies the armored human before she turns and walks out the door, heading down the hallway. The human follows, her keeping pace with Neia. "Do you hate me?"

She glances at the Sangheili from the corner of her eye, the gesture being hidden by her helmet. "I should. But I don't, I can't, really. You killed your own uncle when you didn't have to. Why?"

"We aren't all monsters, Spartan. For months I've thought about what I've been doing. It seemed wrong, now I know why. I didn't play along any longer because I don't want to kill more innocents. And I didn't think you deserved to die simply for existing."

Kass stays quiet for a few moments as they walk down the purple hallways, her eventually sighing. "I understand that...And I definitely know I don't hate you. I'm just bad with people."

"I see...why did you pass out? Was it your injuries?" The female elite asks, stopping before the door into the hangar.

She freezes, unsure of whether to be honest. Finally, she speaks in a quiet voice. "No. The Monitor, Legacy, she did something to me. Gave me what felt like millennia of memories. I can't make sense of most of them."

Neia's mandibles open wide, before closing again, her in a bit of awe. "You were given memories of the Forerunners? Many would give their lives for even a fraction of that knowledge."

"Maybe...I think it might be too much for me, though. Now, if you'll excuse me..." The woman walks through the entrance and notices the marines by a few UNSC weapons crates in the corner of the hangar. She walks over, surprised that she had told all that to an elite. Part of her felt like a traitor, but she knew that most of her felt relieved to tell someone.

"Earth to Spartan, knock knock? Are you awake?"

The Spartan is shaken out of her thoughts by the sergeant talking to her, her glancing down at him. "What?"

"I asked where you got the new armor." He says, noticing the obvious distances between her new suit and her old one. "Did the covies give it to you?"

"Oh. I was unconscious, and one of their Engineers fixed it. Made a few improvements too." She says quickly, glancing behind her to notice several Sangheili talk amongst themselves. She then looks back at the marine. "Are you sleeping here?"

"Yeah. We'd offer you a spot, but the hinge-heads said we can't take up any more of their precious hangar." He gestures behind himself, two hammocks being strung between crates, and two sleeping bags on the ground.

"It's fine. I'll ask this ship's CO about it."

"Do you like her?" The soldier winks up at her.

The Spartan tilts her head, not fully understanding, though she had a suspicion about what he meant. "What do you mean, sergeant?"

"Romantically. Didn't your parents give you the birds and the bees talk?" He has a mischevious grin, obviously teasing.

The Spartan's suspicions were confirmed. Still, she wasn't used to being teased, and as such her face turns a bit red under her visor. "What? No, she's an elite. We've been at war for years."

"Doesn't look like that's stopped you from developing feelings..."

"You're just teasing me, aren't you?"

He nods, still having an amused expression. The other two marines laugh quietly, the ODST lying on one of the hammocks waking up. He looks at the Spartan, whispering to one of the marines. The female soldier whispers back, the helljumper cracking a smile. "So the big, bad Spartan is in love with a hinge-head." He says in a taunting manner, Kass sighing and rolling her eyes. "Marines? Shut up. Please."

She turns to walk away when a Sangheili in the armor of an Ultra stops her, lightly shoving her back. Her eyes narrow under her visor, the Spartan responding by grabbing his arm and shoving it away.

"What do you want, hinge head?" The sergeant steps up beside her, drawing his MA37 assault rifle. "In case you're unaware, the lady can knock you back on your ass faster than you-"

The Elite cuts the marine off with a violent shove, knocking the human back a few meters, before speaking in a harsh, arrogant tone. "Demon. We have decided that you do not belong here, honorless coward. Even if what the Prophets said was false, I would sooner lie bleeding on the ground before I accepted you onto this ship."

Kassandra clenches her fists, but noticing the marines behind her start to grab their weapons, she gestures for them to stand down. "It seems like your opinion is irrelevant, anyways. Are you not under the shipmistress' command?" She asks, trying to remain somewhat calm.

"I believe she is a fool for allowing a creature such as you here. And If I must rid you of this ship myself, so be it." They ignite their energy sword, staring at her angrily.

The woman remains there silently for a few moments, her standing there unmoving, though all her muscles were tensed and ready for combat. After a few heartbeats she asks a single question. "What's stopping you?"

The Sangheili roars and lunges at her, slashing the twin blades of plasma at her neck. The Spartan easily ducks under the swing, her grabbing the elite's wrist and squeezing hard, feeling and hearing the bones begin to break under the pressure. Before they end up dropping their weapon, they attempt to punch her in the helmet, her countering by grabbing their other wrist. With the Sangheili restrained, she debates on killing them, before she decides to end this in a non-lethal manner. She sweeps his legs out and shoves the Ultra back, the elite landing roughly on the deck a few meters away.

Kass stares down at him, before she walks over and puts a foot on the Sangheili's chest, glancing at the other elites who had agreed with him. "If anyone else has similar concerns, I suggest you voice them now." She says in a threatening tone of voice, her putting a bit more pressure on the Ultra's chest. "Like it or not, your commander made the choice to ally with us. Humanity mostly just died by the millions in the war, if anything we should be the ones hating all of you. So my personal advice to any who has similar grievances is simply to let them go." She steps back, before she walks out of the hangar, her wandering the corridors of the Covenant ship.

Neia was in her quarters, as she often was when she was unoccupied. She currently was practicing with her energy sword, dueling with phantom opponents, her blade slashing in graceful arcs and aggressive thrusts. The glow of the blade cast strange shadows on the purple walls of the dark room, being the only light source. After a few minutes pass she extinguishes the blade with its customary hiss, her walking over to turn on a small light near her bed. She picks up a book, one titled _The Path of the Faithful, by Celo 'Kadam'ee._ She lets out the Sangheili equivalent of a sigh, setting it back down and staring at the cover, lost in thought. She was trying to hold it together for the sake of her crew, but her emotions were rather turbulent and unstable. She had never exactly been compliant, so it wasn't her former faith that was the problem here. But she had met a Forerunner Ancilla, a Demon, and slain her uncle on the same day. She had turned her back on everything and everyone in her life, her thoughts briefly flickering back to her past.

 _ **'Kadam Keep, Southern Tolvuus, Sanghelios, Several Months Prior**_

The three suns made a ridiculous amount of heat in the summertime, something that was fairly obvious by the dry, harsh climate. Neia was standing on one of the stone walls surrounding the keep, the Sangheili's gaze resting on a metal spire, obviously of Forerunner make. She feels a hand touch her shoulder, her turning to face another elite, one about a half foot taller than her. "N'tho. Its been a while."

"About three years. You're still stuck patrolling the Covenant's borders?" The other elite, "N'tho" replies.

"Yes, I am. At least, for now...What happened to your eye, brother?" Her voice changes from disinterested to a little concerned. The two may have argued a lot, but he was her younger sibling.

"One of the human Demons. I injured the creature, but it slaughtered my lance and left me for dead."

"An entire lance of Special Forces and it killed all but one...they are more fearsome than I had thought and escaped. How long ago was this?"

He glances down into the courtyard, watching several young Sangheili train in the blistering heat.

"N'tho. Answer me." She says in a commanding tone.

"Very well, my dear sister. It happened three days ago, it's why I'm here. I am still...recovering."

Neia turns to watch the youth as well, her sighing quietly. "My condolences...still, without one eye I might be able to finally beat you in sparring."

He turns to glare at her, before he gently pushes her, looking slightly amused. "Don't count on it."

"Shall we see?"

He shakes his head slightly, muttering something as he leaps off the wall, falling twelve feet before he lands on his feet. "You'll only lose yet again."

She lands beside him, the two siblings walking over to the sparring youth, exchanging a glance with the elder training them. "Do you still have our sparring blades, uncle?"

He sighs and nods, before turning and bringing out two shapes wrapped in cloth. He hands one to each, the younger elites forming a circle around them, curious. "Do try not to destroy anything this time."

"No promises." Neia comments with an amused look, walking a few paces away before unwrapping her weapon. It was an ancient Sangheili curveblade, looking somewhat similar to half an energy sword. The edges were blunted, of course, and the blade was about four feet long, the same as an energy sword. She turns and holds the weapon in a ready stance, noticing her brother do the same a few meters away. "I suggest you watch, children. You might learn something."

One of the children comments something in a humorous tone. "Aunt Neia, don't you always lose to Uncle N'tho?"

"Quiet, you." She says, getting a few laughs from the grup of spectators. She takes a few deep breaths before she exchanges glances with N'tho. A moment later the two charge at each other, their blades clashing in a shower of sparks.

 ** _End Flashback_**

Neia sighs, before she hears a knock at her door. "Come in." She calls out, the door sliding open to reveal a figure in dark grey armor. "Demon? Is there something I can help you with?"

 ** _Author's Note:_ _So, the battle for Atollon begins next chapter. I figured I'd do at least one mostly peaceful chapter and get some character development before everything goes to hell. Oh, and thanks to Stellar starry night and Lycaon 117 for reviewing, I have considered both of what you said. Anyways, to explain a bit, this story will have my own mix of Legends and Canon stuff, so don't be surprised when I mention stuff that currently isn't known to be canon by Disney. Secondly, though it may seem like it will be based on Star Wars Rebels, it will only be that way for the beginning...well, i mean some characters will be shown later, and...I'll stop rambling now. Lastly, for those who want to submit OC's, this is the format._**

 ** _Name:_**

 ** _Species/type of soldier: (ex. Human/Marine, or Sangheili/Ranger)_**

 ** _Gender:_**

 ** _Personality:_**

 _ **Biography: (Optional, just a fact or facts to help me with character development. Their homeworld, family, or stuff like that)**_

 _ **Well, that should be all. Next chapter should be up in a week or two. See you all later...**_


	4. Chapter 4: Atollon

_**CCS Class Battlecruiser Infinite Tranquility, 11:30 Februa- **_**[ERROR]** _ **Date Unknown**_

As Kassandra was wandering around the halls of the cruiser, she couldn't help but be a little curious about the aliens. Granted, they had been at war with the Covenant for years, and Spartans were supposed to focus on the mission alone, but Kass had always been one of the odd ones. So she continued walking until she felt a clawed hand firmly grip her shoulder from behind. Wondering how they had snuck up on her, she was slightly slow to react when they spun her around and shoved her roughly into a wall. She quickly pushes herself away from the wall, preparing to fight when the thing that had pushed her, a grey furred Jiralhanae, speaks in a low, gravelly voice.

"Wait, Demon. I do not intend to harm you. I have...a gift." They laugh quietly, before unslinging something from their back. The 'thing' in question was a large gravity hammer, painted black with pale blue stripes, being slightly different than the average model. The head of the hammer was slightly smaller, with the blade on the back being the average size. As a result, the blade appeared larger in comparison to the hammer. The other modification was the addition of a blade on the opposite end of the weapon,right below the handle.

She takes it, finding it lighter than she expected. "Why are you giving this to me? It looks like its a heirloom of some kind."

The Jiralhanae chuckles again. "It is. In fact, if it looks familiar, it's probably because its former owner attempted to kill you with it."

Her eyes widen slightly, remembering who it belonged to. "So why is it going to me?"

"Because the rest of his pack were killed in the battle for the world. That leaves one inheritor, his slayer. You. Besides, I am sure he would see the irony in this. We were close...I'm also sure he would like it to see some use."

"If you two were close, shouldn't you keep it?" She attempts to hand it back, but he refuses.

"Demon, look at my leg. Tell me, do you think I can fight?" He gestures down at his leg, which happened to have a large gash in it, the bone being visible. "The gun on your transports packs quite a bit of punch."

"You were one of the warriors the Pelican gunned down...how did you escape the destroyer's glassing beam?"

He briefly smiles, his chipped fangs showing. "The beam didn't hit directly where you were. At any rate, I grabbed the hammer and drove a chopper to a safe distance, where I was picked up by some of the Shipmistress' forces. She is an elite, but I owe her enough not to betray her trust."

The Spartan nods again, about to leave when she turns back. "I've seen some hammers use their magnetic field to move objects, can this..."

The brute steps closer, showing her a certain spot on the handle. "Twist here, and point at what you want to move. Left to attract, right to repel, in human terms."

"Thank you...it's unusual to see one of the 'monsters' I've been fighting for over twenty years act so...similar, I suppose, to a human."

"From what I've seen, we're all the same. Human, Jiralhanae, Sangheili, Kig-Yar, Unggoy, and even San-Shyuum. All of us pretend we're better than each other, but our actions prove us wrong at every turn."

"That's...more than I expected from a Jiralhanae. I suppose you're right, though." Kass comments, her thoughts briefly flitting to her own decisions, before she sighs. "Good bye..."

"Sekelus. And you're welcome." With that, the large alien turns and limps down the corridor, soon rounding a corner and disappearing from sight.

The Spartan puts the hammer on her back, before she makes a quick stop at the armory, figuring Neia wouldn't mind. She picks up a pair of Spikers to replace her SMGs, and a Covenant Carbine, as well as her new gravity hammer. She then thinks of a new destination, her starting to hunt around for the Shipmistress' quarters. She finds it several minutes later, knocking on the nanolaminate door. She hears the Sangheili call something out, assuming it meant entry, she steps closer, the door automatically sliding open. After a few moments of the Elite female watching her, the Shipmistress decides to speak up.

"Demon, is there something I can help you with?" Neia asks quietly, walking closer to the Spartan that stood in her doorway.

Kass nods once, not saying anything for several seconds before she finally speaks. "I have several things I'd like to mention, Shipmistress. The first would be your crews lack of respect for your orders. At least, I assume you told them not to attack us?"

"I did...I honestly am surprised they listen to me at all. I assume you are unfamiliar with Sangheili culture, particularly with the role of females?"

"Judging from the fact that you're the first female elite I've met, I'd assume something along the lines of; stay at home and manage the place while the males are off fighting?" She replies, her voice still rather emotionless and somewhat cold.

"Close enough. We typically hold knowledge of the bloodlines, giving us some political power, but in general, we aren't supposed to join the military. So many, despite my achievement in even reaching this rank, hold a degree of disdain for what I say. Or they just ignore it. I will try to be more strict on my crew, though. Now, you said you had several things to discuss?" The shipmistress watches Kassandra carefully, a bit confused on why she was acting slightly hostile.

"There is. I wanted to ask what your plan is when we exit this...portal."

"It really depends on where we exit." She says calmly, before continuing. "If we-" Her sentence is cut off by the ship's artificial gravity shifting, as well as the vessel's intercom.

 _"Shipmistress, there is a situation. Get to the bridge as soon as you can."_

Neia looks at Kass, who reluctantly steps aside. The Sangheili walks out the door, with the Spartan close behind as she hurries to the bridge. The doors slide open to reveal a tense atmosphere, all of the crew silent as Neia walks up and takes her seat. "What is this situation you spoke of?"

"We appear to have exited slipspace above a world that appears to be in a war. I'm bringing up a hologram now." One of the crew responds, doing so immediately after.

An image made of light flickers into being, showing a world being blockaded by nine dagger shaped warships of various sizes, with several smaller ships fleeing to the surface. _"Another war..."_ Neia mutters under her breath, followed by several curses in her native language. "Hold your fire, let's see what happens."

"Yes shipmistress." Multiple elites answer, all then waiting in silence for the inevitable storm.

 ** _ISD Chimaera, Atollon Orbit, 2 BBY_**

"Sir, massive radiation spike, it could be a nuclear device...Never mind, it's faded. But seven new contacts just appeared on our scopes. I would assume they are Rebel reinforcements." An Imperial crewman calls out, turning to face the ship's CO, who happened to be a blue-skinned humanoid with red eyes.

"Interesting, I expected it would take a bit more time. What vessels did they bring?" The officer, revealed as Grand Admiral Thrawn, speaks calmly, the Chiss stepping from the shadows of the bridge.

"...A single cruiser, one that is longer than a Star Destroyer. Six smaller ships as well, four of them are more than 450 meters in length, one is slightly under a kilometer, and one only 300 meters long. Three might be a Mon Calamari design, the other four are completely unknown."

A blue tinged hologram shows the Imperial Seventh fleet, minus one interdictor, due to the late Admiral Konstantine's incompetence. It also shows the new arrivals several thousand kilometers to the rear of the Imperial warships. "Lieutenant, those are no Mon Calamari designs. All of these are something...new. In fact, they might not be Rebels at all. Tell all ships to not engage. They are out of weapons range, anyways."

A different crewman turns to face Thrawn. "Sir, two of our star destroyers are asking permission to engage. Orders?"

"Tell them to hold position. Now, let's not let these newcomers distract us. Are our ships in position?"

"Yes, sir. The blockade is secure."

"And the rebel fleet?"

"They have fled to the surface, and are taking shelter within a localized shield."

"Very good. Lets test their mettle, commence the attack." As Thrawn finishes, the crew get to work, moments later a storm of emerald energy begins filling the space between the Imperials and the surface, slamming into the blue energy field surrounding the Rebel base. After about a minute, the Grand Admiral speaks again. "They've had enough. Cease fire." As quickly as it begins, the bombardment ends, Thrawn turning to a woman standing behind him. "Governor Pryce, you're in command of the fleet while I lead the ground assault. Do remember the surprise I have prepared, should actual rebel reinforcements show up."

Behind the two, a beaten and bruised man starts laughing quietly.

"The plight of your friends amuses you?" The chiss officer asks, turning to face Agent Kallus, also known as Fulcrum.

"I've been in your position before, only to have those rebels pull a victory from certain defeat."

A violent crack can be heard as one of the black armored Death Troopers slams their rifle into the back of Kallus' head. Thrawn moves closer, looking at the former Imperial agent. "You and I are not the same, as these rebels are about to find out." He walks off the bridge, leaving Pryce in charge.

 _ **Infinite Tranquility, Atollon System.**_

Neia watches several shuttles and small craft depart the Star Destroyer, her watching the hologram curiously. "Why did they not simply eliminate them from orbit?"

She hears Kass speak quietly from behind her, the Spartan walking up beside the Shipmistress. "My best guess is they want prisoners. Or whoever they were bombarding are buried too deep for them to efficiently destroy."

"I would assume the first. I am surprised neither side has engaged us. I admit, if an unknown ship appeared in the middle of a battle, I would not show such restraint." The Sangheili replies, her and the Spartan watching the hologram carefully. After a few minutes, five fighters and one larger transport appear behind the Imperials. They accelerate towards the larger ships, TIE fighters deploying in a large wave. "They are brave, to charge cruisers with only single ships and at most, I would call that a corvette."

"I think they're dead." Kassandra says in a cold and emotionless tone, noticing three additional ships jump in behind the new arrivals. "They're cornered and outnumbered. They can't even run."

 ** _Gauntlet, Atollon System_**

"Alright Rau, you know what to do." Aboard the small craft, two rather young humans, one male and one female, were standing in the cockpit. Whatever anyone had been about to say, they were cut off as a pair of Arquitens light cruisers and yet another Imperial class Star Destroyer jump in behind them, deploying fighters as well as opening fire with their own weapons. As the panicked voices of the Mandalorian pilots fill their comms, Sabine steps forward to activate the comm. "Fenn, are you still there?" She asks, the Gauntlet immediately turning sharply to the left, a single Fang following, the rest destroyed.

The voice of a male cuts through the static, sounding weary and hopeless. " _I'm here, Sabine, and please, give my thanks to Bridger for leading us into this trap."_

Ezra winces at the sarcastic remark, Rau resuming speaking soon after.

 _"You and Bridger make for those unknown ships, its your best hope. I'll buy you a few seconds._ "

"We're not le-" She tries to protest, Ezra cutting her off. "Chopper, you heard him. Let's go, now!" The small ship accelerates, Fenn Rau's fighter making a one eighty and rocketing at the TIE fighters, destroying several before he is overwhelmed. The storm of imperial fighters begin to chase the Gauntlet down as it speeds towards the Covenant ships. Bolts of energy fly past the transport as it continues to evade, the TIEs closing in, with the three larger warships close behind.

While Thrawn had told the ships in his fleet not to engage the Covenant and Forerunner ships, the order apparently didn't reach these new arrivals, and as they get within turbolaser range, they open fire. The green bolts of energy mostly strike a shimmering barrier that reveals itself around the alien cruiser, though a few impact the smaller vessels. Chopper notices the unknown ship hailing them, bringing a hologram of an unknown alien. They look briefly surprised, before composing themselves and speaking.

" _Humans...give me one reason my ship shouldn't blast you for bringing these foes upon us._ " They say menacingly, staring directly at Ezra through the hologram.

Sabine answers instead, while the Gauntlet maneuvers behind the cruiser, momentarily shielding them from the TIEs. "These are Imperial warships, whoever you are. Even if you destroy us, they'll still fire at you. A better bet would be to help us." She was mostly bluffing, if these aliens destroyed the Gauntlet, she was fairly certain the Imps would back off. But she didn't want the alien commander to know that.

 _"Very well."_ The alien mutters something to someone off screen. _"Tell the Affliction and the Fury to attack one of their frigates. The retrievers can handle the other. And as for their cruiser, launch all plasma torpedoes and spin up the fore energy projector. And launch fighters, rid these pests from our space."_

The Gauntlet continues to flee from the enemy fighters, though soon enough several beams of purple energy take out over half the TIEs. Several teardrop shaped fighters then launch from the alien ships, pursuing and hunting down the remaining TIEs, before taking up escort positions around the Mandalorian designed ship. Sabine and Ezra simply watch in shock as glowing lights appear on the purple hulls of three of the vessels, the four angular ships each focusing a translucent beam of energy on one of the Arquitens. The light pools near the hull before bursting forth, slamming into the Imperial warships. The first Arquitens' shields break after two torpedo hits, the rest just being overkill as they consume the small warship, nothing being left but a molten blob of metal. The Imperial takes more punishment, most of the Tranquility's torpedoes impacting on the shields, only one getting through, burning away a long scar on the Star Destroyer's hull. The second Arquitens begins to warp, before it breaks apart under the strain, getting dissolved into it's component parts, which are then pulled into the bottom of the Retrievers.

Yet despite their opponents being destroyed, the smaller ships don't interfere as the two larger ships exchange fire for several seconds, the CCS using its lighter plasma cannons while the Imperial is using it's turbolasers. The shields of the Covenant warship break, the Imperial's no doubt sighing in relief as they think they've nearly beaten the battlecruiser. Their moods change immediately as a far more intense ball of energy swirls off the bow of the CCS, the Covenant's most feared weapon then firing. The thin beam of plasma strikes the nose of the dagger shaped warship. It pierces the Star Destroyer, before slashing up and down, neatly bisecting the ship. It's reactors then go critical, the two halves detonating. The hologram of the shipmistress appears again in the gauntlet's cockpit, her speaking in a pleased tone.

 _"I do hope these next opponents will prove more of a challenge. This was...disappointing."_ Her mandibles twist into something resembling a human grin, looking at the two humans.

"You just...Are you sure you can fight all of them? It seemed that Star Destroyer almost got lucky." Ezra comments, him and his Mandalorian friend looking surprised.

 _"In all seriousness, no. Maybe half of them, though...but I would assume you had a plan besides straight up combat? You did bring a transport, didn't you?"_

"Yeah, we did, actually. That ship in the middle of their formation is an interdictor, it's blocking our fleet from jumping. We planned to land soldiers on the hull and overload the gravity well generators."

 _"I assume their 'Star Destroyers', as you call them, will block my fleet from engaging. So, we will draw several of them off, and my fighters and bombers will escort you to this Interdictor. Will you be able to take it out?"_ The Sangheili asks, looking nomewhat uneasy about their plan.

"Nothing is for certain, but we think so." The young Jedi replies, curious on how they planned to draw them out. "The enemy leader, Thrawn, has a fairly disciplined fleet. How do you plan on drawing them from formation?"

" _Leave that up to me and my people. Should you not signal your people on the ground and tell them to evacuate?_ "

"Right...We're ready when you are."

 _ **ISD Chimaera, Atollon System**_

"Governor, those unknown ships have destroyed the ambush group. Should we turn to engage?"

Governor Pryce clenches her fists, angered. "Have the rear half of our fleet turn to face them, but do not pull from formation. These Rebels must not escape."

She hears Kallus start chuckling behind her. "Governor, how did you manage to mess that up? It's almost like you're incompetent at space combat."

The woman turns, walking up to him with a blaster pistol in hand, before she hits him in the jaw with it. "Silence, traitor."

He grins at her, one of his teeth now being missing. "Maybe you should have just stuck to politics."

Pryce almost hits him again when she stops, hearing the voice of one of her crew.

"Ma'am, we are launching our remaining TIEs, the enemy has a swarm of what we think are fighters closing in. Massive energy spike on the enemy flagship, it matches the main weapon previously charging up. Orders?."

"All ships, full power to shields." She responds immediately. "And have a Star Destroyer shield the Interdictor."

Kallus keeps laughing to himself. "Thrawn is not going to be happy about this, is he, Governor?"

 ** _Phantom Class Dropship, Atollon System_**

The interior of the Covenant transport was normally quite spacious. At thirty meters long, and twenty wide, it dwarfed transports like the LAAT gunship. It could normally fit thirty Sangheili, this one held slightly less, though. It had a dozen Elite Rangers, as well as a UNSC Spartan. Well, and three Anti-matter bombs, each of which could destroy a Covenant carrier. This amount of cargo filled most of the space. When Neia's original plan had failed at drawing the Star Destroyers from position, fortunately she had a backup. Kass herself was uneasy, despite this being partly her idea, as like most Spartans, she preferred her boots planted firmly on the ground. She also felt somewhat like a traitor for helping the elites, but she knew it was necessary to stop...well, the massive ringworld that was lurking somewhere in this galaxy. The Spartan feels the deck buck beneath her feet, her feeling the ship take fire from enemy fighters. "Pilot!" She calls out. "Open the doors. Team Alpha, with me, this is our stop. Bravo and Charlie, make sure to deploy at your targets. Give them hell, people!"

The Sangheili roar a battle cry as the dropship's side doors open, Kassandra taking a look outside into the chaos. TIEs, Banshees and Seraphs twirled and raced between the larger ships, the larger ships exchanging blasts and filling the space with explosions, debris, and white hot plasma. Using her helmet's magnification she even sees the Mandalorians deploy onto the Interdictor's surface. She takes a deep breath, before she takes a running start and jumps out of the craft, being followed by four Rangers, two of which were carrying the bomb. She briefly feels the weightlessness of space, before she feels herself slam into the durasteel hull of an Imperial class Star Destroyer. She gets to her feet, feeling the vessel's artificial gravity tug on her, though noticeably lighter than a planet's. She looks up, quickly sidestepping several blaster bolts. The Spartan draws her carbine, firing at several white armored soldiers who were jetting around nearby, and firing at her. Her accurate shots hit the gaps between the white plates, tearing through the black bodysuits of the Stormtroopers and compromising their armor. A nav-point appears on her HUD, signalling an airlock two hundred meters further up the hull. "Come on." The two unburdened elites join her in exchanging fire with the jet-troopers, their shields flaring as the occasional blaster bolt strikes them. Soon enough they get to the airlock, but it refuses to open when they tap the controls. Kassandra sighs, before she attaches a plasma grenade to the door, retreating a few steps and clicking her comm once. "Fire in the hole."

Obviously a single grenade doesn't breach the airlock, the Spartan advancing and ignoring the blaster bolts and plasma rounds filling the nearby area. She puts her carbine on her back, before she punches the weakened durasteel, making a small hole, which she then puts her hands in. The next thing she does surprises even the elites, Kass violently forcing the metal apart. She drops into the hole, followed by the two Rangers carrying the antimatter bomb. Not having the space to try the same trick again, she draws her hammer, winding up before she slams the weapon against the doors, heavily warping them. Her next swing causes the metal to buckle and she simply kicks the airlock in, the area inside the doors suddenly depressurizing, the air being quickly sucked out into space, along with two unlucky storm troopers, who Kassandra catches by the helmets. "...They're human." She mutters, the supersoldier slightly surprised. She sighs, before squeezing and crushing the helmets, and the heads beneath, in her now bloody gauntlets. She throws the limp bodies aside, blood droplets floating through the air as the group begins to make their way deeper into the Star Destroyer.

 _ **ISD Chimaera, Atollon System**_

The panicked voices of Imperial crew and soldiers fill the Imperial Battlenet. Kallus still appears amused, watching Governor Pryce attempt to manage the situation.

" _Boarders have breached our ship, we're fighting, but-_ " The voice of a fearful man is cut off by a the sound of weapons fire, and then a burst of static, leaving no illusions about their fate. Dozens of similar communiques were becoming quite common, these strange newcomers obviously tearing through the stormtroopers and other security measures on the afflicted ships.

Pryce keeps watching the hologram, noticing enemy single-ships take out weapons systems and harrass their own TIE fighters, as well as the larger alien warships exchanging fire with the Imperials. One of the remaining Arquitens is caught by the grav beam of three retrievers, though instead of ripping it apart, it is forced into one of the Star Destroyers, almost completely destroying the frigate and heavily damaging the Imperial Class as the two ships partially fuse together. Though it wasn't all easy times for the aliens, as one of the Retrievers is cut off from the group, being pounded by one of the Imps' turbolasers. The Forerunner machine's shields wink out under the withering barrage, the Strato-sentinel being torn apart by the Star Destroyers firepower.

A new comm, marked as high priority, quickly appears, the face of an Imperial stormtrooper appearing. "Ma'am, the Rebels have made it to their ship, the Grand Admiral says not to let them leave."

She nods stiffly. "Thank you, trooper." She mutes them, noticing rebel ships begin to leave Atollon's atmosphere. She then notices something else, which happens to be her remaining Interdictor's gravity well generators detonate, followed by the rest of the ship.

"Thrawn is really not going to be happy about you messing up his fleet, is he?" The former Imperial calls out, only serving to fuel Pryce's rage.

"Throw this trash out the airlock." She snaps, the woman having had enough of the traitor's mocking. Two stormtroopers drag Kallus off. Three nearly simultaneous comm messages quickly appear, all being similar in nature.

 _"We've done it! The alien scum are retreating!"_

 _"We've routed our boarders, Ma'am. further orders?"_

 _"Finally, these bastards are retreating. Governor, should we fire on the rebels exiting atmosphere?"_

As she's about to respond, she feels a bit suspicious. "Did they leave anything on board?" She asks cautiously, before an explosion of violet light consumes one of the destroyers, the Governor's suspicions being correct. "They left bombs on your ships, find them. Now!"

 ** _Atollon Orbit_**

With 'team bravo', as the Spartan described them, the four elites had planted their bomb, and were waiting on the hull of their target for pickup. One of them, Ranger Vira 'Sola, quickly spoke into her comm, getting the slightest bit panicky. "Pilot, could you hurry? We only have a few moments!" The shape of their Phantom appears, it's side door open. As it flies by, slowing down, the other three Sangheili leap at it, firing their thrusters to carry them inside. She runs and jumps as well, but as she fires her thrusters a blaster bolt punches through her weakened shields and hits one of the nacelles. She hurtles in an erratic spiral, the Ranger missing her target and feeling herself drift as she shuts off her thrusters. Still spinning wildly, she mutters something quietly. "Forerunners, help me."

The female Sangheili slowly stops spinning, her twisting around to aim her beam rifle at the trooper that had shot her. She's too late, as the Star Destroyer she had been on detonates, the shockwave sending her in yet another direction. The elite sighs, watching several corvettes and frigates speed past the decimated Imperial fleet, and noticing all of the Seraphs and Banshees retreat, along with the CCS and other ships of the allied fleet. She watches the retreat for a few seconds, before closing her eyes, sure that she is going to die drifting through space. Suddenly, her back hits an object, Vira turning and grabbing it, noticing it to be an escape pod. The Ranger watches a freighter fly close by and pick it up, her holding on tightly and pulling herself close to the pod's hatch. She knocks loudly on the thing's hull with her fist, waiting a few seconds before she notices an airlock open several meters away, her taking one last look at the naval battleground, before she claws her way over and hauls herself inside.

 _ **Infinite Tranquility, Atollon System**_

Neia felt an uneasy tension on the bridge of her ship. All of them were in some new area, whether it was a new sector of space or a new galaxy no one knew for sure yet. The Shipmistress sighs, noticing a stream of coordinates enter her comm from one of their new 'allies'. They looked alien to her, but at the same time, seemed somewhat similar to a combination of human speech patterns and Forerunner glyphs. "Helm, can you jump us to these coordinates they sent us?"

"I have been trying, Mistress. Its difficult when I don't understand the language. Wait, how...The coordinates are translated. We're ready to jump on your command."

She nod at the crewman. "Let's see where this leads."

She feels the deck hum beneath her feet as a blue-black portal forms in front of the cruiser and the rest of their fleet, a gentle thrust from the vessels pushing them in. A moment later, the rift in space collapses, the ships in transit to the Yavin system. Once they're safely in slipspace, Neia slowly stands, the Sangheili stretching slightly. "What is the estimated time when we will arrive?"

"A bit over two hours."

"I would recommend you all get as much rest as you can. We don't know what this new place has in store for us, after all." She walks from the bridge, nearly running into an armored figure who, at this point, was starting to get familiar. "What do you require, Demon?"

The two walk along the hallway in silence for a few moments before Kassandra finally speaks. "I would like to know if there's somewhere quiet I can sleep."

The elite female considers the question for a bit, the two rounding a corner and stopping. "If you would be willing, you are welcome to sleep with me."

The Spartan let's out a bit of a surprised cough, blushing slightly under her helmet. "Isn't that a little awkward?" She manages, her mirrored faceplate reflecting the Sangheili's face back at her.

"I did not mean it like that, human." Neia says quickly, before she continues. "But I can either set up a cot, or you can simply rest on a chair. It's about "

She doesn't say anything, thinking about the offer. Eventually she looks away, the two starting to walk again. "If you're fine with it."

After a couple of minutes, the two arrive in Neia's quarters, the elite glancing at the Spartan, who sits in one of several chairs near a small table, the furniture being organically designed, and seeming like it's built into the ship itself. Despite it feeling slightly uncomfortable, not being designed for humans, her helmeted head slowly tilts to the side as the woman drifts into unconsciousness. The Shipmistress watches her for several moments, before she takes off her armor, leaving the thin bodysuit on as she lies on her bed, resting on her side as her eyes slowly close.

 _ **The Ghost, En route to Yavin 4**_

The attitude of the various crew ranged from depressed, to in shock. Ezra was sitting in the chair of one of the turrets, Kanan having just left. He turns to glance at a grey armored alien, standing somewhat awkwardly nearby. He tries to reach out with the force, testing his abilities. What follows completely shocks the young Jedi-in-training. He feels absolutely nothing, no emotions, hell, not even any signs that they existed. He makes a note to talk to Kanan again, before standing, walking over to them and speaking in a somewhat curious tone. "So you're one of those aliens that saved us?

They look at him, the alien's visor shifting from an opaque blue to transparent. "I am."

He offers a hand to her. "I'm Ezra, what's your name?"

She stares at his hand, a bit confused at what her wanted. She sighs, before speaking in a disinterested tone. "Vira."

He lowers it, leaning on the closest wall. "Don't be offended, but are you a female, or..."

"I am a female. Why do you humans ask so many questions, anyways?" She asks sharply, looking down at him.

"Curiosity?" He offers, smiling somewhat sheepishly. "If I'm being annoying, I'll stop after this one. Where are you from?"

"I'm from the Sangheili colony of Khael'mothka. If you wouldn't mind, could you show me a map of...this place. I would like to know how far from home I really am." The Ranger replies, her finally showing a bit of emotion.

"Alright...how do you speak basic with those...mandibles, I think?" He begins walking to the cockpit, Vira following him.

"I'm not. My armor is translating what I say."

The two stop, Ezra touching Hera's shoulder. "Hey, would you mind showing one of our new friends the nav-data? She's curious."

The Twi'lek turns, her activating a holographic map. "Sure. So, she's a girl...are you going to go tell Zeb to pay up?" The green skinned alien asks, slightly smiling.

Vira glances at Ezra, not really amused. "I don't know why I'm even surprised..."

He scratches the back of his neck. "Uh...yeah. Sorry."

The Sangheili turns her focus on the map, examining certain systems closer. "This is...disappointing." She mutters.

"What is?" Hera asks, the Sangheili slightly intriguing her.

She hesitates, before looking at the two. "Either this data is wrong, or I am in a different galaxy entirely."

 ** _ISD Chimaera, Atollon System_**

"I apologize, Grand Admiral. I did not mean for-" Governor Pryce and Grand Admiral Thrawn stood on the bridge of the Star Destroyer Chimaera, the flagship of the formerly impressive Seventh Fleet. The menacing figures of four Death troopers stood around them, making the woman slightly nervous. Out the view port, the space was filled with debirs, mostly from the rebel and Imperial ships.

"Normally, I would be quite angered...but a loss is acceptable if something is learned from it. And we have learned much about our new adversaries." The Chiss says in a calm tone, a hologram of the battle playing on repeat. He briefly glances at Pryce, before looking back at the battle. "Much indeed. Still, this cannot happen again."

"I understand, sir. May I ask what you plan on doing to crush these interlopers?"

"You can ask, but I must decline to tell you. I will be in my quarters, Governor. Have the fleet set course for Mandalore, we should teach them not to interfere in matters that aren't their own." With that, he turns and walks from the room, two out of four Death troopers following, while two watch the Governor carefully.

Pryce turns and looks at the bridge crew. "You heard him. Relay the order to the other ships."

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _ **Well, that was Atollon. Don't worry though, I plan on going to at least A New Hope, maybe even to Return of the Jedi, so this story is far from over. I wanted to thank Cousinxcaps for reviewing, and I shall now answer your question. I don't know if any large UNSC ships will be appearing in the next bit, however, a very specific UNSC vessel, one I mentioned in the first chapter, will make it's way to the Star Wars galaxy in the next chapter. I know that this is actually earlier than the deadline I had set, but I figured better too early than too late. Expect the next chapter in about a week, maybe a bit less, maybe a bit more. Oh, and please, submit some OC's if you want. There is still a male elite Ranger, a male Zealot, and two UNSC marines, one female, one of unspecified gender. And one Sangheili pilot. Until next time, Zealot out.**_


	5. Chapter 5: Glasslands

_**Surface, Hestia IV, UNSC Outer Colonies, 16:00, February , 2547**_

At the site of the Forerunner site, nothing remained but ruins. The three massive spires had collapsed to the ground, scarred and partly melted into a large pool of molten metal. The wrecks of several retrievers, and even more Covenant warships, dotted the landscape within a hundred kilometer radius. But the victor was obvious, several intact alien battlecruisers hovering over the area, glassing what remained. Near the ruins of one of her towers, a familiar pink themed monitor was lying on the ground, her spherical shaped body dented, with her glass 'eye' cracked and dark. The bodies of dozens of Jiralhanae littered the ground, along with the wrecks of her Aggressor Sentinels, several of which still were burning. A decrepit figure in a hovering chair floats closer, several Brutes encircling them. Legacy's eye flickers back on, her slowly hovering. " _San-Shyuum. Do you even know what you're doing!_ " She says angrily, her eye glowing red as she prepares to blast them with her laser. She doesn't get the chance, however, a brute lunging and smashing her metal frame against the ground.

The Prophet moves closer, looking down at the Monitor. "Oracle." They hiss. "Where did you send the heretics?"

 _"W..Why would I tell you? I can't even feel pain in this body. Your attempts to force me to reveal information are pointless."_ She says quietly, her eye turning back to pink.

"Your main data stores were destroyed when we brought down your Installation, ancilla. That body is all you have left. Now, where did you send the heretics!" The alien nods to one of the brutes, them smashing her against the glassy surface again.

She lets out several small laughs, her eye slowly turning red again. _"That was merely a portal. I am in command of all of the Forerunner artifacts on this world. I will always elude you."_

"Not forever. If you continue this pointless defiance my fleet will reduce this world to magma, if only to purge your heresy from the universe. So tell me now, where did you send them?"

 _"It won't make a difference._ _Besides, the Reclaimers will help me._ _"_

"Who? You mean humans? They are all dead here, and you are alone." The Prophet looks angry, their temper flaring when the ancilla doesn't reply. "Answer me, machine!"

 _"W..What about the one behind you?"_ She asks, still sounding amused, as if there was something she found terribly funny.

The Covenant soldiers all look, seeing nothing but ruins, shadow and flame. "There is nothing here, Prophet. The machine is deceiving you." One of the Brutes growls.

Then one of the shadows moves, revealing an armored figure whose armor was mimicking the smoke and fire. It morphs into a dull green, with a gold colored visor. It wasn't MJOLNIR, instead being Semi-Powered-Infiltration Armor, or SPI. It wasn't shielded, and faintly resembled the armor of the ancient Roman Legionnaires crossed with tactical body armor. It had a slight advantage over its more expensive cousin, though, and that was the photoreactive plating that had previously been hiding this particular Spartan from the Covenant's sight.

Faster than the aliens can react, they spring forward and attack one of the brutes from behind, slashing a combat knife across their neck, blood spurting from the wound as the alien warrior slumps to the ground. Their armor shifts color yet again as they roll to the side, the Brutes whirling around and firing their grenade launchers at the figure. She dodges most of the projectiles, moving inhumanly fast to evade the blasts. Still, one hits below the Spartan's feet, the resulting explosion knocking her off balance. One of the brutes, seizing the oppurtunity, lunges and swings the blade on their Brute Shot at her. The human rolls backwards, drawing her magnum and emptying almost an entire clip into the Jiralhanae. Unfortunately, it's to high on adrenaline to die just yet, attempting to rush her before she simply sidesteps, sticking her armored boot out and tripping the alien, it falling onto it's face, her firing one last round into it's skull. A nearly deafening roar sounds from behind her, her turning in time to see another brute charging at her, roughly shoving her back.

The warrior slams the Spartan III into a metal wall and pins her, before hitting repeatedly with the force to crack even her augmented bones, her feeling several of her ribs fracture. She pushes her pistol under their chin and fires, before shoving the freshly killed brute away from her. Unfortunately for her, she isn't fast enough to get away this time, a flurry of red hot spikes burying themselves in her stomach. She collapses, struggling to breathe as one of the massive aliens walks closer and picks her up by the throat. They level their spiker with her face, about to fire when a sniper round pierces the back of their helmet, the bullet barely missing the Spartan's own visor. The brute's blood splatters on her helmet as they drop her, automatic fire suddenly spraying from all directions. The Spartan drops to her stomach and laces her fingers over the back of her helmet as the surprised brutes begin dropping one by one, being brought down by the concentrated fire.

A trio of black armored soldiers make their way closer, one looking down at the Spartan as she slowly climbs to her feet. "Easy now, lets get you to the infirmary."

She shakes her head. "I'm fine." She nods at the Prophet, now dead. "You could have been more selective with your targeting. The Commander wanted him alive."

"He also wants _you_ alive. So, our glowing friend over their knows where they took the Two?"

"I...think so." She stumbles, the closest soldier catching her before she can fall.

"Yeah, let's go, Lieutenant. Hey lightbulb, do you want to come with us?" The man comments, another of the people helping him carry her, the two putting her arms around their shoulder.

The metal orb floats closer, hesitating for a moment before replying."...Yes. _I would assume you would like to know what happened to the other augmented Reclaimer?"_

"That'd be lovely. Hey X, bring the bird down, and hurry."

A female voice replies over the person's comm, sounding rather stressed out. _"I'm coming, just be patient. Oh, and this is gonna get hot really fast, two Spirit's are rapidly approaching your position."_

"That's what she said." One of the other soldiers whispers, snickering.

 _"You do know your comm is on, don't you dumbass? Anyways, I think they'll get there just before me, so be ready."_

"Alright." The lead soldier comments, him and his friend setting their injured comrade down behind a large chunk of metal, giving her a bit of cover as they draw their rifles, seeing the two Covenant dropships approaching. The third operative, obviously a sniper, aims at a plateau about half a klick away, where the enemy force deploys. A pair of Ghosts accelerate at the group, a sniper round entering each of the rider's heads, before the two vehicles veer off and both crash. Most of the troops charge with a roar, the two men with automatic rifles opening fire, even the Spartan hauling herself up into a firing position and opening fire with her MA5K carbine. The shields of the elites leading the assault flare before failing, several grenades being lobbed into their midst and detonating, throwing several scorched bodies aside and blunting the charge. A group of Jackals maneuver in front and use their shields to form a Phalanx, returning fire, the humans taking cover as plasma bolts and needle crystals fill the air.

"Hey girl, I know I said this a while ago, but hurry up, or it'll just be a wasted trip." The leader comments, ceasing fire when he sees that his bullets are just bouncing off the shields.

 _"Just shut up."_ She snaps back, before a midnight black Pelican appears, traveling low over the surface. _"Almost...there. Crap, enemy fliers are engaging, I have to deal with them, you'll just have to hold out."_ Multiple Banshees dive at the dropship, it evading the green projectiles that they launch.

Back on the ground, the four humans aren't having much luck, until a lucky sniper round hits a Jackal's leg, them stumbling and leaving an opening for the Spartan to throw a frag into the mess, it detonating and scattering the horde of aliens. They open up again with everythign they have, a hail of bullets finishing off the attack force. "Alright, we're clear for now. Have you shaken off those Banshees.

 _"Not quite."_ The Pelican had managed to take out two of the enemy aircraft, and was now chasing the last. _"Stay still you little fucker..."_ The pilot mutters, before she manages to hit the Banshee with a burst from the chin-gun, taking it out. She loops around, before rapidly approaching the group. The vehicle spins around as it's rear landing ramp opens, the Spartan managing to get to her feet and limp towards the dropship. The sniper helps support her as she climbs into the Pelican, before she collapses into one of the seats. Legacy floats over now that the combat is over, her hovering near the injured Spartan, who now is starting to bleed more. The other soldiers climb in as the dropship takes off, the leader sitting next to the Spartan, holding a can of biofoam. "Move your hands, Spartan."

She nods, removing her now bloody gauntlets from the wound, letting him pull the spikes out one by one, her only groaning quietly and clenching her teeth. "Are your hands okay? Those spikes are very hot."

"My hands" He pauses, before removing the last projectile. "Are fine. You, on the other hand, are not." He sprays the substance into the bloody hole, the foam hardening moments later. "The second we get to the ship, you're going to the medbay. Even if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming."

She laughs quietly, before wincing under her helmet, her injury flaring into pain again. "I would like to think I'd be a bit more dignified than that. Besides, if I didn't want to go, you wouldn't be able to force me."

"Yeah, with you in this state, I think I could." The atmosphere fades to a comfortable silence, broken moments later by the pilot.

"Alright, we're about to...docked. You may now remove safety harnesses and walk around the cabin. Feel free to disembark at any time." 'X' comments in a sarcastic tone, walking back into the troop bay as the ramp lowers again, revealing a very small hangar, less than twice the size of the Pelican itself.

As the pilot and two of the Helljumpers depart, the leader undoes the Spartan III's harness, gently pulling her to her feet. "So, are you ever going to tell us your name? It's been six missions, but all I can call you is 'Spartan'. It'd be nice to know whose ass I keep saving."

She glances at him, the mirrored visor of her SPI helmet hiding her features. After a few seconds it changes to transparent, showing a rather young face, with brown eyes and matching hair. "Ava. And thank you for saving my life, I owe you one."

He rolls his eyes under his visor. "More than one, Spartan."

"Fine, two. And I've saved your life plenty too. Hell, I've basically been carrying this team since the start." She replies as they approach the med-bay.

After a few moments he decides to ask something he's been wondering, the two stopping just outside the infirmary doors. "So...Ava, how old are you, anyways? Because what I've seen of your file says that you've been fighting for over ten years, but you barely look twenty."

She gives him a wary look, staying silent for a few moments. "I'm older than I look."

"Bullshit. Look, I don't plan on telling anyone, but I'd like to know. How old were you when your training started?"

The infirmary doors slide closed, a nearby holotank activating. _"Sergeant, that is classified information, you know that. Anyways, Spartan A042 is supposed to be in a debriefing."_ A few blue-white holographic sparks coalesce into a young woman in a top hat and suit holding a cane, which she taps on the side of the tank.

"With all due respect Zari, go screw yourself. She's going to the infirmary. The debrief can wait ten fucking minutes."

The AI glares at him, before she sighs. _"Not my orders, but fine. Be that way."_ Her hologram dissolves, the sergeant sighing as the medbay door opens, the two walking inside.

"Sergeant, can you help me get out of my armor?" She asks, keeping her tone relatively neutral.

"Are you asking me to help undress you?" He asks teasingly, before seeing the look she had just given him, sighing quietly. "I'll help, Lieutenant."

The two stay silent as he helps take off her armor, after about two minutes the Spartan only being in the body sheathing underneath. She looks at him, her emotionless demeanor breaking for a moment as she gently makes a spinning motion with a finger. He turns away, Ava unzipping that as well, before she slides it off, having a bit of difficulty. She then climbs onto an examination table, lying on her back. The automated arms come from above, her glancing at the Helljumper who is standing nearby.

"You done yet, LT?" He asks after about a minute, almost turning to see when he remembers how awkward she seems. "For once in your life, don't try to get in every lady's pants that you see." He mutters to himself, unaware that with Ava's augmented hearing, she heard anyways.

She can't help but grin, honestly liking the man, even if just as a friend. "Something you wanted to say, Sergeant?" She calls out playfully, the machines finishing up their work and retracting.

"Nothing." He replies. "Why..."

"It just sounded like you said something." The Spartan swings her legs over the side of the table and stands, her pulling on a green t-shirt and some sweat pants that had been lying nearby. She walks up behind him, moving silently on the metal deck. "Boo!" She yells, grabbing his shoulders, the startled man yelling an expletive, before realizing it's her.

"Why the hell'd you do that?" He asks, looking over her.

She brushes her hair from her face, a small smile on her face. "I wanted to see if I could make the big, bad helljumper scream like a little girl. Guess it worked." She walks off, him following after her.

"I did not, don't exaggerate."

She simply rolls her eyes and proceeds onto the Prowler's bridge, immediately snapping to attention when she sees the Commander. "Sir."

"Why are you out of armor, Spartan?" The officer asks as he faces her, most of the bridge crew ignoring her, save a floating, pink sphere, who had been having a discussion with a familiar blue hologram.

"It's compromised, sir. I left it to be repaired."

"Alright. You're rather sociable for a Spartan, I've noticed. Even for a Three."

The AI, Zari, interrupts. _"Sir, A042's social habits aren't the reason she's here, and we all know it."_

"Alright. Legacy, wasn't it? Start explaining, starting off with where you sent our Spartan."

 _"Well, I don't know exactly where, but I do know she's safe, for now."_

Ava tilts her head, her speaking quietly. "How do you not know where you sent her? And how do you know she's safe?"

 _"The location is where the last remnants of the Forerunners exiled themselves. I would presume the location is safe, or relatively, anyways. Do you plan on going after her?"_

The commander interrupts, holding up his hand. "How the hell would we do that? The Covenant melted the portal generators to slag."

 _"This vessel is capable of entering slipspace, is it not?"_

"Yes, but if this location is beyond this galaxy, it would take us hundreds of years, if not thousands to get there."

 _"I have a part of the generator with me, and there happens to be a derelict transport in the hangar my Retrievers were stored in. I could use parts from its drive to modify your corvette's. That could feasibly make the trip only last days, a few weeks at most. But I will require assistance retrieving the necessary parts."_

"Sir, if theres a mission to retrieve these parts, I volunteer." Ava speaks up again, looking at the others.

"Request denied, Lieutenant. You're still recovering, and we'll likely need you in fighting shape wherever we come out. Sergeant, the rest of your team will have to do."

The Helljumper nods, glancing at the Spartan III before back at the officer. "We'll get it done, sir." He turns and leaves, Ava turning to follow.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, Spartan?" The officer says as he walks up to her.

"To the barracks, to sleep. Sir." She snaps, even out of her armor being a couple of inches taller than him.

He stares at her for a second, before backing off. "Get rid of the attitude." He turns away, the Spartan exiting the room.

She stalks down the hall, considering just making for the hangar and following them. "Don't be an idiot, Ava." She whispers to herself, before she turns and enters the barracks, climbing onto one of the top bunks and flopping onto her back with a sigh. She notices a flash in the corner of her eye, glancing to see the AI's hologram sitting cross legged on a nearby terminal.

Zari coughs into her hand, looking up at the Spartan and looking concerned. "You _know, for all the Spartans, I'd expect you to be the most relaxed about some down time. Yet you're almost as tense as when you are in direct combat. What's wrong?"_

"I don't like being forced to stay behind like an invalid when people are in danger." She replies, moving close to the edge of the bunk and looking down at the hologram.

 _"For half a moment I thought you were going to call them your friends."_

She glares at the AI, before sighing. "Was this supposed to be comforting or something? Or why are you here?"

 _"Sorry. I must confess I'm not the best dealing with organics. Or other AIs, as evidenced by my short conversation with that Monitor. And I'm here because the Commander told me to make sure you're not...unstable."_

"Tell him I'm fine. And wake me up when when we have that drive fixed. If we're teleported into oblivion, I don't want to die in my sleep." Ava rolls over so she's facing the dull grey wall, the AI rolling her eyes.

 _"Alright. Have a nice sleep, Spartan."_ Zari's form flickers, before she disappears, the terminal going dark.

The Spartan Three's eyes slowly close, her listening to the faint hum of the ship's engine as she slowly falls asleep.

 _ **ONI Prowler Silent Night, Hestia IV Orbit, 17:45**_

 _"Spartan, wake up!"_

Ava's eyes snap open, the Spartan sitting up. "Drive's done?"

 _"Yeah, you could say that. We also have a problem. Those modifications emitted a radiation flare, non-lethal, but it attracted every Covenant ship in the area. Their moving to cut us off from getting out of Hestia's gravity well, thus preventing us from jumping."_ Zari's hologram is back, her voice full of panic.

"Crap. I'll get in my armor." The S-III jumps off the bed, landing on her feet, before she starts walking towards the armory. "And get one of the booster frames prepped."

 _"What exactly do you hope to do?"_ She calls after the spartan, before sighing and dissolving her hologram, re-materializing on the bridge. _"Sir, I think Spartan A042 is planning something, she is going to retrieve the spare set of SPI. She also instructed me to ready one of the booster frames."_

"Do you know what she is going to do?"

 _"I surmise she is going to board one of the closest ships and attempt to disable it, giving us an opening. In her injured state, it is unlikely she will be successful. Hell, I think it's impossible for her to do it. Do I refuse to activate the frame?"_

"No." He sighs. "It's a long shot, but Spartan's have done the impossible before. And I sure as hell don't have a better plan, as much as I loathe to admit it."

The ODST sergeant, who had been standing beside them, speaks up. "Zari, ready two of them."

 _"Sergeant, it's a suicide mission. Are you sure?"_

"Positive, I'd rather go down with a gun in my hands than sitting on my ass." He turns and exits the bridge, leaving Zari, the Commander and several bridge crew alone on the bridge.

He looks out the viewport, seeing two Covenant destroyers slowly approaching. "Good luck, both of you."

 ** _Author's Note:_ _Well, cousinxcaps, it was a good guess, but actually I meant the ONI Prowler. I know I didn't specify that it survived, but I did not mention it destroyed, either. To Cmedina1, thanks for pointing that error out. I fixed it. This new group will not replace Kass, Neia and the marines aboard the Tranquility, so don't worry about that. And before I go, please remember kids, ONI is always watching..._**


	6. Chapter 6: Chasing Shadows

_**ONI Prowler Silent Night, Hestia IV Orbit, 17:50, February 19th, 2547**_

Ava, now mostly clad in the dull green metal of SPI armor, quickly pulls her helmet over her head, the familiar heads up display flickering to life as it seals itself with the rest of her armor. The Spartan three grabs her MA5K, along with her pistol and an M90 CAWS shotgun. She swipes a handful of clips for her rifle and sidearm, pocketing a few dozen shells for her shotgun as she begins running for the launch bay of the corvette. Navigating the tight corridors with ease, she quickly arrives at her destination, skidding to a halt when she sees a figure in ODST armor waiting.

"What, did you think we would let you go alone?" He asks, grinning at her under his helmet.

She tilts her head slightly, before she walks over to one of the small craft and mounts it. "I think they would've."

He shrugs, getting on his own vehicle, feeling it vibrate slightly as it turns on. "Maybe. Guess I'm just suicidal."

"They always did say you Helljumpers were a bit crazy." The Spartan notices the bay depressurize, before the door below them starts to open.

He nods at her, their vehicles dropping out of the hatch like stones as gravity takes hold of them, or what's left of it, being so far from the planet's surface. They then rocket forward, the engines of the small craft screaming as they accelerate towards one of the two enemy destroyers. "Time for a bit more payback." The sergeant mutters, Ava's status light winking green in agreement.

As they approach the larger ships, the space around them lights up with pulse laser fire, the two narrowly avoiding being blasted into atoms by the Covenant point-defenses. Ava glances around for her ally when the storm of purple light subsides, finding him flying close behind her. She then notices a dozen teardrop shaped craft exit the nearest destroyers hangars. "Seraphs incoming!" The three calls out, her firing a round from the vehicles oversized Gauss cannon right at one of the fighters, the round hitting it on the nose and violently shoving it into another Seraph. "One down, only eleven of them left."

"Alright, I'll take two of them, you get nine. That fair enough?"

"Not really, but fine." The fighters rapidly close in, firing their repeating plasma cannons, the two human craft firing once more before evading the bursts of energy. As they manage to get by the Seraphs, the alien craft all execute a tight turn and begin to catch up again.

"These fuckers really don't give up, do they? On a side note, I only have about eight minutes of air left, since this armor is crap, so...mind hurrying up?"

"Alright..." Ava replies, sounding slightly distracted. "Drop back five hundred meters, target Alpha has raised hangar shields. Fire your cannon at these coordinates."

A nav point appears on the Helljumper's HUD, him sounding a bit worried. "Those Seraphs are right on our asses, why do I have to drop back?"

She snaps back, sounding irritated. "Did I fucking stutter!"

"Firing." He responds, doing what she asks and firing the Gauss cannon. He then realizes what her plan is as he drops behind the Seraphs.

Ava fires her cannon, feeling the heat of plasma burning at her vehicle before she leaps off, her vehicle slamming into the shimmering field and breaking a small part of it. She briefly wonders if she had aimed her trajectory correctly as she sees most of the Seraphs pull off, a pair mistakenly slamming into the destroyer's hull. Suddenly, her armored gauntlet is caught by a gloved hand, her feeling herself be tugged on board the ODST's frame. "Thanks."

They enter the hangar, the shield soon snapping back on, sealing off the empty hangar as the vehicle sets down on the purple deck. Both of the human soldiers sigh in relief as they climb off, neither having expected to made it this far, artificial gravity tugging on them once more. "So, think they know we're here?" He asks, drawing a BR55 Battle rifle, Ava pulling her MA5K off her back.

The door then slides open, a pair of jackals and a dozen grunts emerging. "I'd say so, yes." She comments as both parties open fire, the Spartan rolling behind a weapons crate, narrowly avoiding the storm of green bolts of plasma and pink crystal shards.

"Smartass." He mutters, picking off a few of the diminutive aliens with bursts from his battle rifle. He then notices a slight shifting in the wall behind the Jackals, checking Ava's hiding place and finding her gone. "That is you over there, isn't it? Not some invisible elites?"

"Affirmative." She whispers over the comm, before she opens up, spraying her entire clip of ammunition into the grunts' methane tanks, causing a chain reaction as the gas ignites in a series of explosions. The Jackals, along with a trio of Unggoy who had been fast enough to escape the conflagration, fire on her, the Spartan diving for cover again. Conveniently, they all had turned from the Helljumper, who rises from cover and disposes of them in rapid succession.

He walks over to the Spartan as she stands up again, looking towards the door. "So, I assume the reactor's are out target?"

"I was thinking the bridge." Ava starts walking, switching weapons to her shotgun, with the sergeant following close behind.

"You mean the place where the toughest elites possible are? I'm definitely not the only crazy one here. You realize they'll self destruct the ship when we...get there." He hesitates. "I see why now, but I still think this is stupid, Lieutenant."

"We'll be fine. Let's go." As the door in front of them opens, three Sangheili minors happen to be standing there, all of whom look as surprised as the humans are. Ava happens to be faster, though, firing her M90 and blasting one of the elites in the chest. The weapon rips through their shielding and their chest in one shot, throwing the alien to the ground. The other two manage to get their weapons up and firing, the marine ducking behind the doorframe while the Spartan rolls forward. A single plasma bolt catches her in the chest, scarring her armor, though she blows the unlucky Minor's head off with her next shot. The other elite grabs her weapon and forces it away from themselves, the two wrestling for a few moments before the Sergeant runs up behind it with his combat knife out, jumping on it's back and stabbing it's throat. She shoves the bleeding Sangheili away, before it topples backwards, right on top of her friend.

"A..little help, Ava? He asks, trying to move the heavy alien off of himself.

She helps him tug the Sangheili off, offering a hand. He takes it, letting the Spartan pull him to his feet. "So, ready to go kill some more hinge-heads?"

"Should be. Still think we're gonna die, though."

Ava glances at him, shrugging before she starts walking in the direction of the bridge, her holding her shotgun and watching out for more surprises. He sighs, following after her and drawing a magnum, his BR not being much use in these tight quarters. Surprisingly, they don't encounter any more resistance as they wander the purple halls. At least, not directly, though the Spartan three had noticed 'heat shimmers' in the various intersections that they passed. The two humans stop at the bridge, before the door slides open, about a dozen Sangheili and Kig-Yar staring at them. Then ten Sangheili special forces appear from active camoflage behind them, the Helljumper blurting out a quick expletive.

"Humans, I was wondering how long it would take for you to arrive here." A tall Sangheili in silver armor looks at her, slowly walking closer. "You might as well lower your weapons and make this quick. You're quite outnumbered."

Ava aims her weapon at the elite as he approaches. "And we'll slaughter you all when you try."

He chuckles, activating an energy sword, the blue-white plasma blades igniting with a quiet hiss. "Very well."

That moment, the Sangheili behind her move, the Spartan Three ducking under an energy dagger, swiping the legs out of the offending Spec-ops, then blowing its head off with her shotgun. The Kig-Yar draw crystal daggers and cutlasses, before charging the ODST, who manages to shoot two before he tackles another. He get's off, firing a round into that jackal's head before dodging a few more slashes.

Ava is locked in a deadly dance with the nine remaining Spec-ops, every few seconds another one of the elites being either knocked back by a kick or punch, or being blasted with the Spartan's shotgun. Eventually one grabs her arms and holds them behind her back, another attempting to ram their energy dagger through her visor. They're launched back as she brings both legs up and slams her armored boots into their chest with all her strength. She twists out of their grip, pulling a combat knife out and slashing a deep wound across the elite's throat. The four remaining Sangheili back off, giving her a brief respite.

Ava then hears a pained scream, her quickly turning to see one of the bird-like aliens leap away from the Sergeant, but not before burying their shimmering blade into his stomach. He turns to look at her, before the crystal weapon detonates in a pink explosion, all that remains of the soldier being a few pieces of ruined armor and bloody chunks. She stands still for a moment, the Spec-ops slowly approaching. They then freeze, the Spartan making a quiet noise in her throat, sounding very similar to growling. She then bursts into action, lunging at the closest Sangheili and ramming her knife into the visor, the elite roaring in pain and trying to shove her away.

She lets them, her using the momentum to shove her armored elbow into another elite's stomach, the alien doubling over in pain. She then grabs the surprised Sangheili's energy dagger and forces it into their throat, her stepping forward and letting them slump to the purple deck, which was now stained with purple and red streaks. She draws her pistol and fires a few times into one of the elites faces, dropping them before she ducks under a crystal cutlass. She turns and grabs the Kig-Yar that had attacked her, throwing them forcefully into the Spec-ops whose eye she had stabbed, knocking both over. The Spartan finishes those two off by tossing a frag grenade next to them, the explosive detonating a moment later. The shrapnel reveals the final Spec-ops, who had activated their armor's camoflage and had been leaving. They try to run, Ava picking up a fallen cutlass and throwing it. The blade sinks into the alien's back, the Sangheili then being consumed in a pink explosion as the Spartan fires a pistol round into the sword.

The Spartan three turns to look at the only remaining occupants of the bridge. A pair of elite Majors, along with the shipmaster. "You're next." She growls, picking her knife from the ground and flicking the blood off of it.

"Very Impressive. But those cowards were only the begin-" His voice is interrupted by a wet sounding gurgle, twin prongs of energy now protruding from his throat. His body falls, one of the Majors turning to face the other, who simply fires a hail of plasma into their face, them dropping as well.

The Sangheili traitor looks at Ava, who stares back without saying a word. "I thank you, Demon. I would have intervened sooner, but I needed to be sure you would be victorious." He pulls his blade from the corpse, deactivating it and putting it on his side.

"...Why." The Spartan asks after a brief hesitation.

"Did I kill them? Because their blind faith was likely going to get us all killed. I believe in Shipmistress 'Kadam's message. I was simply outnumbered in that regard." He glances at the dead body of his former commanding officer, before spitting on it, walking over to a holographic console. "Unlike them, I know the difference between honor and faith, and stupidity."

Her voice shifts tones, from emotionless to menacing. "I was going to ask why you thought I would spare you."

He turns to look at her, before opening up a holographic screen, showing plasma torpedoes arcing towards the other destroyer. "This is why." The two watch in silence as the other Covenant destroyer, with its shields down, gets struck by the plasma, which begins burning through its hull.

Ava doesn't answer for a few moments, before she can't help but let out a sadistic laugh. "The bastards get burned by their own weapons, fired by one of their own. A bit of poetic justice." The Spartan turns to the elite, watching him for a few seconds before sighing. "Come on. Can you fly a Seraph?"

"I can indeed. I assume we are getting to your vessel?" The two start sprinting for the hangar, though the elite slows himself slightly to keep pace with her.

"Yes." She pauses a few moments before she asks him something. "There's something you aren't telling me. What other reason did you have to betray your allies?"

"You are quite perceptive, aren't you?"

"Don't dodge the question." She replies tersely, glancing at him as they round a few tight corridors, killing a few unlucky grunts that find themselves in their way.

"These vessels are often crewed by criminals and dishonored Sangheili. I am a mercenary, and as such fall under the second category." He stops as they arrive in the hangar, noticing two massive Mgaelekgolo, or Hunters, blocking the only Seraph left. "I don't want payment at the moment, if that's what you are thinking." He rolls to the side, dodging a fuel rod blast.

"Your continued survival is your payment, at the moment." Ava comments, drawing her shotgun and rushing one of the Hunters, sliding across the floor and barely evading the thing's shield it had swung at her. She twists and fires at it's exposed back, the alien turning and swinging it's shield in a low, sweeping blow. The Spartan jumps onto it, using it as a springboard to launch herself around ten meters into the air. She rolls as she comes down, firing two more shotgun blasts at it.

The Sangheili appears to be having a more difficult time, repeatedly moving from cover to cover as his opponent continuously melts them with its cannon. He abruptly stops and changes direction, catching it off guard as he sidesteps its shield. He circles around behind it, managing to bury his plasma blade into the Hunter's back. The massive alien stumbles, before the armor collapses, many of the worms that made up the creature burning or fleeing. The elite then hears a loud roar, rolling to the side just in time to avoid a beam of green energy burning him to a crisp.

The Spartan notices the Mgaelekgolo she had been fighting turn and fire at her new ally, her capitalizing on the opportunity. She shoves the barrel of her weapon into the exposed back of the beast, and fires. The blast obliterates quite a few worms, causing the alien behemoth to collapse, its armor slumping to the purple deck. "Come on, split-lip. Before more show up."

He nods, before climbing on top of the teardrop shaped craft, slipping inside through a hatch on the roof. Ava follows, and after a few moments, the fighter rockets out of the hangar. "Perhaps you should let your allies know we're coming."

"Right..." She says, activating her helmet's comms as they approach the prowler. "Silent Night, I'm approaching in a hijacked Seraph. Please don't blow me out of the sky."

A few moments later she hears Zari's voice reply. _"Alright. The Sergeant, is he..."_

"Dead." The Spartan replies in a dull tone.

 _"Oh...do you want me to tell his squad? Or do you-"_ The artificial intelligence is cut off by Ava suddenly clearing her throat.

"You do it. They probably won't want to speak to me...we're docking now." She shuts off the comm as she feels them dock with the human corvette. The spartan glances at the mercenary, who undoes their safety harness and starts to stand.

"Do your superiors know I'm..." He trails off as his own energy sword impales him in the stomach, Ava giving him a cruel smile. "D..Demon..."

"Be glad I'm making this quick, hinge-head. I would much rather make all of you suffer..." She whispers as she aims her pistol at his head.

"Perhaps I should've let you die, coward." The Sangheili spits at her, the Spartan flinching before wiping the substance off of her visor. A moment later, his head jerks back, before his body goes limp.

The spartan calmly pulls the energy sword out of the Sangheili's stomach, before she climbs up to the hatch, entering the corvette. "Zari, I'm inside. You can detach the fighter and jump when able." She calls out, before she sits against a wall, feeling exhausted.

 _"Understood. Slipspace in 5...4...3"_

As the AI counts down, Ava briefly feels a bit of sorrow for her friend's death, her clenching her fists before feeling a tug in her gut, almost feeling sick as the ship jumps. She lets out a quiet sigh, the blood covered spartan sliding down the wall as she falls asleep.

 ** _CCS Class Cruiser Infinite Tranquility, Yavin System, 2 BBY_**

Neia wakes up rather suddenly, feeling an armored gauntlet push on her shoulder. The Sangheili almost reaches for her blade, before noticing who it was that had awakened her. "Demon. Have we arrived?"

Kass takes a few steps back, giving the shipmistress a single nod. "A half hour ago. Your second in command let you sleep in. Oh, and our new allies have requested a meeting on the moon we're orbiting. I'll be in the hangar." With that comment, the Spartan turns and walks out, leaving Neia to put on her armor.

The female elite does so as quickly as possible, before grabbing a plasma rifle and her sword. She walks at a brisk pace towards the hanger, hearing raised voices as soon as the door slides open. A trio of Jiralhanae, including a massive one who was about nine and a half feet tall, were standing nearby a half dozen Sangheili, along with the four human marines. The Spartan was standing behind her fellow humans, staring evenly at the shipmaster of the _Unyielding Fury_ , who was arguing with the marine Sergeant. Neia walks up behind them and coughs a few times. "What seems to be the problem?"

The male elite turns to her, obviously angered. "These fools wanted to negotiate on our behalf with these..." He trails off, not knowing exactly how to describe the rebellion.

Kass steps forward, gently pushing her allies out of her way. "That is _not_ what we said. We just want to have a say in things, not decide for you. He's twisting our words."

The Shipmaster snarls, turning to face her, before the brute shipmaster lets out a sigh and 'gently' pushes him back.

"The Demon is right. Your arrogance just refuses to let you see that."

"You have the nerve to lecture me about arrogance, savage!"

Neia cuts them off, sick of the fighting. "Both of you, silence. It is better we appear united when we go to these newcomers. Like it or not, we are somewhere we don't know, and likely heavily outnumbered. We need allies. So, unless you are needed, when we depart, all of you stay silent. Am I being clear?"

After a few seconds Kassandra nods, being the first to respond.

"As you wish, Shipmistress." The brute leader adds, everyone looking at the male elite.

He sighs, clearly outnumbered here. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

"Good. Now, did they say how many people we could bring?"

Kass nods, speaking quietly. "They said ten or less. They also said they have one of your Rangers aboard one of their ships."

The Shipmistress moves to step aboard the Phantom, turning after she's onboard. "Chieftain Vykatus. You and your guard get on. Shipmaster Zael, you can bring two of yours as well. Demon, you and one of the soldiers. That's enough people. Now move." Everyone does as she asks, getting into the dropship, Neia herself walking up to stand behind the pilot, the doors shutting when everyone is aboard.

"Have they provided coordinates, pilot?" She asks quietly.

The pilot, a fairly young Sangheili, turns to briefly look over his shoulder. "They have, Mistress. We can depart on your word."

"Very well. Lets not keep our new allies waiting."

 _ **Authors Note:**_ _ **So, to Reza0807, you say you hate ONI? Well, then you will likely hate them a lot more later on in the story. In fact, I'm sure most of you will. Cousinxcaps, thanks for reviewing yet again, though I do wish someone else would. Still, I do thank you for all of your feedback. The next chapter is Mandalore, obviously, and yes, this story will soon be out of Star Wars Rebels territory. Just a bit longer until it branches out. Anyways, I'll talk to you all when the next chapter comes out, though feel free to PM me in the meantime. It should be out in under a month, though the exact timing is unknown. **_


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